Saving Lois
by TwistOfFate4
Summary: Summary: set a month after the season seven finale, Lois and Clark are both working at the Daily Planet, and learn to put up with eachother and their contradicting feelings towards eachother,Clark begins to fit the role of Superman& falls in love...
1. Chapter 1

Saving Lois, PG-13

Summary: set a month after the season seven finale, Lois and Clark are both working at the Daily Planet, and learn to put up with eachother and their contradicting feelings towards eachother, as Clark begins to fit the role of Superman and Lois becomes the greatest love of Superman's life, if not Clark Kent's just yet.

Chapter one:

Perry set down the latest addition of the newspaper infront of Clark's desk, Clark threw Lois an annoyed glare as Perry bragged over her brilliance, 'you see this Kent? This is why Lois is one place ahead of you in becoming this years' Daily Planet Star Reporter...' Clark sighed to himself as he read the title of the paper, 'Superhero or Superbandit...?' He furrowed his brow, superbandit? He wondered, 'Uh Chief, why has Lois captioned the stranger who's saved over fifty people in the last month as a superbandit??' He did his best to cover his frustration.

Perry smiled at Clark, 'Lois?' he asked, the beautiful, if not outspoken brunette who was seated at the desk opposite Clark's. 'Would you like to enlighten your Kent as to why this mystery hero could be a corrupt?'

Lois took a smug sip from her coffee, doing her best to hide her pride, she replied, 'Well Clarkie,' she said with a patronising tone, 'No-one's seen his face-'

'Maybe he doesn't wanna be recognised so reporters like you don't get a chance to label him-' Clark argued pointlessly, not realising that it was useless to argue with Lois. She was always right, even when she was wrong, she was right.

Lois strolled over to Clark, 'Okay, fair point Smallville, but maybe...he's the one causing these problems, and then by saving them, he swoops in and takes the credit. No offence Smallville, but it'll have to take alot more than taking cats out of trees and saving a stranger from a robbery here and there to win me over.'

Clark turned to the chief and editor, Perry Wyatt, who simply grinned as Lois strutted away, 'That's my girl.' He said proudly.

Clark frowned against his own will, usually he was in control of his emotions, but Lois always managed to rile him up. He was not a bandit, and he wasn't causing the accidents he had saved people from.

Perry sighed, 'I feel bad for the mystery guy sometimes,' he said without realising the mystery man was indeed seated afew feet opposite him, without explaining what he meant, he looked Clark straight in the face, 'Why are you still sitting here Kent? Lane's gone to get the latest report on the fire at Queen Labs, you better be hot at her heels if you wanna make a name for yourself at the Planet.'

Clark stumbled out of his seat, grabbing his coffee, he jogged out of the office after Lois. Making himself a name would have to wait, if there was a fire, he was going to stop it.

Queen Labs:

Radon stared at the fire he had caused, looking horrified he stared down at his hands, 'what have I done?' he felt sick as his skin began to cool down, he stumbled backwards through the flames, untouched by them. His hands gave off an orange glow that slowly diminished. The scientist who was working on him lay badly burned on the ground and unconscious. He had to help the scientist, this was his fault.

The sound of metal being torn apart grabbed his attention, turning around he saw a hooded silhouette.

'It was an accident-' Radon mumbled, 'I didn't mean for it to happen-I just-I-'

Clark's eyes landed on the unconscious scientist, he supersped, hoisting the scientist over his shoulder, he was out of the room before Radon realised what had just happened.

Clark came to a halt in the hallway as Lois slowed down at the other end. Her eyes studied him suspiciously, 'Leaving the scene of the crime with a body over your shoulder? Doesn't seem very heroic to me...menace or messiah?' She asked.

Unable to risk Lois discovering his identity, Clark supersped past her, as time slowed, he dropped the body at her feet. Paramedics and police rushed in as time returned to its normal pace, Lois blinked rapidly,_ how did he vanish like that?_

Radon stared at the officers as they rushed in with their guns aimed at him, he suddenly felt weak as the room began to lose its colour. Before he knew it, his body hit the ground, sending a wave of scolding heat out at the surrounding officers.

Before the scolding wave of heat reached the officers, Clark sped back into the room, taking in a deep breath, he let out a blast of cold air from his lips, cooling the heat and creating a wall of ice. Having shield the officers, he then pummelled through the ice wall and headed towards Radon, he suddenly keeled over. An eerie humming sound was detected by his ears as his eyes scanned Radon, searching for the source, that's when he saw it. It was a small vial of kryptonite Radon wore around his neck. Clark backed away, staggering out into the hallway, he supersped as he stumbled, slowly regaining his strength, he accidentally knocked Lois off her feet. They tumbled to the ground, Lois opened her eyes, for a brief moment, all she could make out were his lips and jawline, his other features were covered by the hooded jacket he wore. Before she could gather her sense, he sped away.

'HEY!?' she called, utterly infuriated and confused. As she re-adjusted her shirt, she couldn't help but notice her heart as it pounded in her chest. She took in a deep breath.

Clark stopped in an alley, pulling off the jacket, he slipped it into his sidebag, his heart was hammering in his chest, he didn't know whether it was because he stumbled into Lois or because he was just out of breath. Without giving it further thought, he emerged from the alley way, buttoning up his navy shirt. He had a story to report.

End chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: A blast from the past

Metropolitan Hospital:

Doctor Larson stood over his newest patient, the patient had been admitted to the top floor, level 10, this type of admittance usually meant that the patient was very important, say a Luthor or the president's family, or even a government secret.

On studying the young patient for a moment, he noticed the patient's auburn hair seemed to be emitting a slight glow, or it could have just been the lighting in the room. As he shrugged it off, he picked up the patient's chart, 'Mr Bradley Carlson.' He paused as he read the name of the person who was paying for his treatment, 'Oliver Queen...'

He shook his head in dismay, this was typical, rich men like Queen and Luthor would pick innocent civilians off the street and experiment on them, and then they'd wind up in Doctor Larson's care, with a large cheque for Larson's discretion.

Not that he was one to complain, he smiled calmly as his eyes landed on the check under the first sheet of paper.

'Right,' he muttered to himself as he strolled over to Bradley Carlson's still body, 'Let's see what I can do for you today...' He furrowed his brow at the green liquid crystal in a vial around Carlson's neck, he unhooked it and removed it from his patient, studying it intently, 'What on earth is this?' he wondered to himself, not before it slipped through his fingers and cracked wide open, the crystal suddenly began to throb, he quickly reached down to pick it up.

Before Doctor Larson could react to his lethal mistake, the crystal cracked open, emitting a bright green flash, which was followed by Radon sitting upright in his bed and screaming in pain as the largest wave of heat yet was emitted from his body, leaving him as dead as the Doctor Larson.

The kryptonite's energetic glow faded away as it lay on the floor.

The Daily Planet:

Lois stared at Clark's empty desk, where WAS he? she wondered silently as she bit the top of her pencil. Glancing at her watch, she took another sip from her coffee.

Jimmy walked over to her, 'keep staring, it's not like people are talking...' he quipped.

Lois spluttered her coffee back into the mug, 'what?!' she asked, 'I'm not STARING, looking MAYBE...wondering? Kind of...but I wasn't STARING...'

Jimmy grinned, 'Whatever you say Lois, where is Clark anyway?'

'I don't know, he didn't answer his cell when I rang...' she seemed somewhat concerned, why wouldn't Clark take her calls? She wasn't arrogant, but she was pretty sure she was the most popular person he knew.

'How's he been?' Jimmy asked gently, Lois shook her head.

'What do you mean?' she asked, completely lost.

'You know, Lana's gone forever, do you remember how smitten he was?? That's gotta be really hard on him, and to have Chloe leave and move to Paris...His friends have all gone, he can't be in a good place...' This made Lois pause for a moment-

'Who's not in a good place?' Clark's voice questioned as he walked up behind them.

Jimmy jumped slightly, 'oh no, on one, why're you late CK?'

Clark smiled, 'I got caught in traffic...'

Lois frowned, 'you don't own a car...'

Clark opened his mouth to lie alittle more, but Perry Wyatt stormed upto them, slamming a copy of the Daily Star onto Clark's desk, 'read that to me Olsen.'

Jimmy nervously stammered, 'Uh it says...'Hooded-Hero saves 16 in 5 car pile up, the unidentified Samaritan miraculously pulled four families from burning car wreckages within seconds, and yes, your daily Star is having to report this because unfortunately, the Daily Planet seems to be lagging behind your number one newspaper, not to mention the newest chief and editor, Mr Perry Wyatt, who we see here eating a donut ...-'

'That's ENOUGH Olsen.'

Jimmy immediately put the paper back down onto Clark's desk, Lois glanced nervously at Clark as he studied their chief.

'I was waiting for Clark to turn up before I-'

'Why were you waiting for Me?' he asked with a confused expression.

Perry frowned, 'Lois, do you think i was born yesterday?'

'I was waiting for him, that's why i wasn't out in the field-see Smallville? You slow me down-we've talked about this-'

'No we haven't!' Clark objected as Lois attempted to shamelessly lie herself out of trouble.

'Both of you-that's enough! Now, I want my number one reporters OUT in the world-because ladies and gentleman, believe it or not, the drama's happening out there, not in HERE at your desks!'

Lois hurried off to her desk, grabbing her handbag she walked straight past Clark, 'wait, where are you going?' He asked.

'To report a story...'

'Without me?'

Lois let out a defeated sigh, 'Clark...no offence, but you DO slow me down...I work alone-you know that-'

'Actually,' Perry said with a small smirk, 'I think you two should pursue the Queen labs case together...' Lois didn't realise that her jaw was hanging open, 'Uh Lane, close your mouth.'

Lois closed her mouth and gulped. Had she just been paired off with the biggest bumbling idiot on the masthead?

'I don't think that's such a good idea Perry-'

'Yeah chief, I have to agree there-'

Jimmy frowned, 'but you two would make a great team, CK's brilliant with facts and reporting, and Lois you're...'

Lois shot him a look that silenced him instantly.

'Lane and Kent...' Lois and Clark turned and looked at their chief. Clark suddenly found himself worried about his own wellbeing, Lois looked anything but happy.

'Chief, actually, I was wondering if I could work on another story...?'

'Do you have one in mind?' Perry asked Clark.

'Yeah,' he said with a slight smile, 'yeah I do.'

Lois found herself doing a 180 degrees turned, 'wait-you DON'T wanna work with me?' she flinched as she realised how offended she sounded.

Clark smiled smugly, 'no Lois...' he knew exactly what he could do, he would interview himself as the hooded-hero and clear his name, and that meant, he would come into contact with Lois as least as possible, because he wouldn't need her help.

Lois put her hands on her hips.

Perry let out a sigh and rubbed his head, 'alright, you kids work it out between yourselves. Just don't let our paper be mocked by tabloids like the Daily Star...' With that he walked away.

Lois turned to Clark, 'what's your story on?' she demanded, wondering what could be so important in his life that he was rejecting her as a colleague, not that she wanted him to work with her anyway she reminded herself.

'You'll see...' he said, with a small smirk on his lips.

Lois watched him settle onto his chair and take a sip of coffee, he frowned, 'what happened to my coffee?'

Lois smirked, 'you were late...I guess someone drank it.'

Clark glared at her, 'don't look at me,' she said, feigning innocence.

He let out a defeated sigh, it was going to be a long day.

Metropolitan Hospital:

Lois had dragged Clark along with her to the hospital to help her research what had happened there. More importantly, she had dragged him along so she could figure out what he was writing his report on and whether he was after the same spot she was after, position as 'Daily Planet's star reporter'.

Lois scowled, 'what is that smell?'

Clark frowned, 'its burnt flesh-'

'Okay, I'm not even gonna ASK how you know that...' she said as she walked through the top floor of the hospital, Clark was relieved she hadn't asked, he didn't think Lois would be able to handle hearing about how he strolled into a laboratory that had been surrounded by officers, claiming there was a bomb about to go off, and leaped into the sky with the bomb in his arms and smothered it in his hands.

Everything had been incinerated in the hospital room they stood in, 'Clark...' Lois said as she stared infront of her at the semi-burnt body on the floor, she felt a pang of sickness as the man reached out for her, Clark pulled Lois away from the man protectively.

'Help me...' the man wheezed, Clark turned to Lois, 'Get a doctor!' Nodding with a terrified look, Lois ran into the hallway in search for help.

Clark suddenly paused as his ears tuned in on someone running on the roof of the building. He supersped out of the room to find the escapee.

'Hey!' Clark called as he reached the roof, the figure wore a hooded jacket just like the one Clark wore but in green. 'Who are you?!' he demanded firmly, the man turned around and stared straight at Clark, Clark squinted slightly, trying to make out the face of the man, but the man turned and began to run towards the edge of the building.

Clark immediately supersped past the man, stopping in front of him, the man launched himself into the air, in Clark's eyes this was all happening in slow motion due to his superspeed state, he put out a hand, directly hitting the man in his chest, and in the process, knocking off his hood.

Clark stared at the man in shock and confusion, 'Oliver?!'

Time returned to it's normal speed as Oliver grunted when his body hit the ground, 'Clark I have to go-'

'What are you doing here?' Clark demanded, he knew Oliver was one of the good guys, but sometimes he went about doing the right thing the wrong way.

Oliver glared at him, 'let go of me Clark!'

Clark stared at Oliver, there was something different about him, but Clark couldn't quite place it-Oliver head butted Clark.

Clark grunted in pain, slamming Oliver back into the ground he lifted his fist into the air, ready to punch him, momentarily forgetting Oliver was only mortal.

'Clark WHAT are you doing?!' Lois demanded as she ran towards them both. On returning to the room downstairs one of the officers said Clark had gone to the roof, so she came to see what was going on. She slowed down as her eyes landed on who Clark was about to punch.

'Oliver...?'

Clark let go of him, he stepped closer, so Lois couldn't make out what he was saying to Oliver, 'What's going on Oliver?'

Oliver met his eyes momentarily, Clark initially noticed the dark shade beneath his eyes, and then flinched slightly as he stared into his old friend's eyes, he could have sworn Oliver's normally brown eyes had a hint of green in them.

'what are you doing here Ollie?' Lois asked as she reached Clark and Oliver.

Oliver stared at Lois for a moment, a wave of emotion flooded his senses as he took in her features, her strong but soft gaze, her bittersweet smile as she held his gaze.

'Lois...' he said softly, barely able to form words.

Lois looked at him, Clark felt unsettled, he didn't want Lois to hook up with Oliver again, not until Clark found some more answers about the state Oliver was in.

'How've you been?' Oliver asked Lois.

Lois smiled, refusing to let any tears stream from her eyes, 'I've been...good. You?'

Oliver nodded, 'I've been...okay.'

There was an awkward pause.

Clark cleared his throat, 'Lois, we have to write up the report downstairs...' His words seemed to grab her attention, looking flustered, she nodded, 'Yeah...yeah we should. I think I'm gonna go downstairs. Bye Ollie...' she said politely.

Walking away from the two men, she couldn't help but wonder what Clark had said to him, and why Clark looked as if he was about to punch Oliver in the face when she had arrived.

Clark turned to Oliver after Lois was out of sight, reaching out for him, he grabbed Oliver's shirt, Oliver punched Clark in the face.

Clark could have sworn Oliver wasn't this strong last time they had met, he touched his stinging nose, 'are you on drugs again?'

Oliver glared at Clark, 'you're not the only one who's special Clark. Get used to it-'

Clark stared at Oliver, barely recognising him, he sounded nothing like the level-headed friend he once was.

'What happened to you?' He asked.

'I'm fine, but Radon isn't. I have to go and fix this. I'll see you later Clark-'

Before Oliver could go, Clark grabbed his arm, 'Oliver-what're you- ARGH' Clark groaned as Oliver injected him with a dilute solution of kryptonite, Clark stared at Oliver. His eyes were glowing with a tint of green this time. Clark was certain, Oliver had been injecting Kryptonite into himself to get abilities?!

He tried to keep a steady head as he slowly lost control of himself and felt his energy level's depleting.

'Oliver wait- I can help you...' Before Clark could stop Oliver, his eyes fluttered shut.

Lois's apartment:

Clark jolted awake on Lois's couch, 'what happened?' he asked groggily, Lois shrugged.

'My guess is as good as yours...when you didn't come downstairs after ten minutes, I came to see where you were and you were just lying on the ground and Oliver was gone...'

Clark frowned as he touched his neck, it was still slightly sore from where Oliver had injected him with kryptonite.

'If you did what I think you did?' she said cryptically, 'thank you.'

Clark blinked at her, 'what?'

Lois nodded, 'come on Smallville, you obviously came to blows over him breaking my heart-'

'he broke your heart? You dumped him didnt you-?'

Lois rolled her eyes, 'that's not the point...the point is, I appreciate you having my back. It's sweet of you.'

Clark studied her, was she actually, sincerely thanking him? Lois Lane? He marvelled at her, she was truly a bizarre woman, one moment she had nothing but disdain for him, and the next he was her friend. Words simply couldn't describe Lois Lane.

'Your welcome.' He said politely, Lois smiled at him as their eyes met, and for rarest moment, there were no comments or witty replies, there was just the two of them.

End chapter two:


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three: Oliver's twist

Oliver stared at the paperwork spread out across his apartment floor, he wracked his mind, trying to figure out how it went wrong. The science, the trials, it all added up. Project Kryptonite Injection was meant to run smoothly. There had been no anomalies in the calculations at the lab, what happened to Radon just didn't make sense, neither did what was happening to him. The angry outbursts, the superstrength, the indestructibility, the speed he had developed, none of it was expected. It as ideal, but it wasn't what was meant to happen. This project was supposed to pick individuals with powers up off the streets, help them reach their optimum abilities and use them for good. But the kryptonite seemed to be too much for Radon's system to handle, as a result, he lost control of his abilities.

A wave of frustration hit Oliver as he tossed the paperwork aside, he glared at it angrily, and much to his surprised, his anger caused him to heat up, he flinched, 'argh,' he touched his temples with both hands as he groaned, his eyes burst open against his will as he bullets of heat pulses from them, immediately incinerating all the paperwork and research him and the league of justice had been putting together for so long. He groaned in defeat as his eyes cooled down, for a moment he doubted he had what it took to continue with the project, but the darker side of him enjoyed the thrill of having so much power in his veins, a small tug at his lips drew a smile to the surface as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. This power would be brilliant to stop floods, tsunamis, and cyclones. As his anger turned to excitement, he marvelled at his eyes, there was a fleck of green in his irises. If that was the only visible side effect to becoming a superhero and fulfilling his potential, then he welcomed it. The anger and the aggression he could control himself, or so he thought.

Lois's apartment:

Clark knocked at the door, he could easily fly in through the window, but that wouldn't go down to well he assumed. Chloe was gone, and so was Lana, he was a confident guy, but he didn't like being alone. It was the one thing that he couldn't bear, boredom. He had two cups of coffee and a bag of donuts, hoping Lois was free to hang out this evening. Since Oliver had returned, he didn't want to leave Lois alone either, he remembered how hard it was on her to let Oliver out of her life. He wanted to be there for her like she was for him after Lana left.

He frowned when there was no reply at the door, unable to resist his flare for curiosity, he x-rayed her apartment, she was nowhere to be found.

Clark's apartment:

Lois set down the two cups of coffee and the bag of donuts outside Clark's door and began pounding on it.

'Claaark?' she called, but there was no reply. She sighed, maybe he wasn't in. She pressed her forehead against the door. Oliver was back in town, and for some reason, she'd rather see Clark. What was she doing? Clark probably hated her company, even though he was polite about it, he seemed pretty reluctant to work with her at the planet that morning... she paused for a moment as she worked through her thoughts...on the other hand, he HAD punched Ollie in the face for her. The thought of it bought a childish smile to her face, not quite coy but not quite smug. She suddenly straightened, what was she doing?

Was Lois Lane actually swooning over Clark Kent?

'Urgh, I really need a social life.' She muttered to herself, even Clark was out tonight. She found herself wondering what Ollie was upto.

Oliver's apartment:

Oliver punched the boxing bag furiously, he watched it glide away and back towards him in slow motion as he tried his superspeed ability. He slowed down to a normal speed, suddenly feeling exhausted and irritable, he did a roundhouse kick, kicking the punching bag right off the hook, he stared in shock as it swirled across his apartment and hit the wall.

He froze, sensing a presence...before he decided what it was there was a knock at the door, Oliver chugged from a bottle of water and yanked the door open.

Lois stared up at him, 'Uh...hey...' her eyes did their best not to drift to his shirtless torso, 'you're uh...you're working out.'

Oliver nodded, momentarily stunned by the uninvited guest, 'What're you doing here Lois?'

He tried not to sound irritable, but he didn't want her around him when he was capable of hurting her.

'I just wondered how you were, you seemed alittle...different when I saw you on the roof.'

Oliver studied her, 'you look great...' he said gently as he approached her. Lois suddenly felt a knot in her stomach, maybe she shouldn't have checked in with Ollie tonight.

'Come on in...' he said, his eyes drifting over her body, his heart began to pound in his chest. Any emotion he felt for her was tainted in lust at that moment.

Lois felt uncomfortable under his watchful gaze, 'actually, you know what...I just remembered something I have to do-' She turned on her heel and began to walk away.

Oliver grabbed her arm, momentarily powerless Lois stumbled towards, leaning against him.

Lois followed his eyes as they moved to her lips, she pulled away, suddenly turned off by his shallow intentions, 'Ollie, I don't think we should-'

'Why not?' He asked bluntly, still not releasing her, Lois felt his heart pounding against her as she tried her best to pry herself out of his grip.

'Look, Ollie, I just came over to see how you were-'

'No you didn't.' He said with a small smirk, he leaned in intending to kiss her but she pulled away.

'Oliver stop it!'

Glaring at her, he flung the bottle of water aside, Lois stared at him in horror as the force he threw it with formed a hole in the wall.

He immediately sobered up on seeing her terrified expression, Lois backed away, 'what are you taking?'

'I'm not taking anything Lois-just...'

'Oliver, let me help you-'

'GET OUT.' He demanded, Lois watched him, trying to hide how much it hurt to see someone she once cared about in this state. His eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was shallow, he backed away from the door, Lois entered the apartment after him, trying to help him, 'Ollie, talk to me-tell me what's going on-'

'I SAID GET OUT!' He yelled at her, for the first time that evening, Lois noticed nothing but rage in his eyes. She turned on her heel and walked away instantly, fighting back tears.

Clark reached his apartment to find the donuts and coffee on the floor outside his door, he wondered who had left them.

The sound of footsteps and sniffling got his attention, he turned around, 'Lois?' he asked as she entered his floor through the doorway, on seeing him she broke into tears and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He held her protectively, 'what's wrong?'

She consoled herself in his arms for a moment, before pulling away she said, 'It's Ollie, I went to see him-he's not himself Clark...I think he needs our help-'

Clark studied her, 'did he hurt you?' he held her gaze as his eyes searched hers, Lois smiled through her tears, touched by the concern in his eyes.

'No, he's just...he's...different.'

Clark nodded, 'wanna come in?'

Lois nodded, 'Yeah,' she watched him as he unlocked his door, welcoming her in, she smiled at him as she wiped aside her tears.

'C'mon, we'll eat donuts and drink cold coffee...' He said, 'someone left them at my door.'

Lois suddenly found herself embarrassed, 'Really?' she asked innocently, Clark smiled slightly as he studied her. He enjoyed seeing Lois blush , it was a rare but enjoyable moment for him.

'Yeah...maybe someone has a crush on me.'

Lois scoffed, 'dream on Smallville...'

Clark grinned as she walked into his apartment.

End chapter three:


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four:

Clark set the donuts on the coffee table infront of them as he joined Lois on the couch. They sat watching the television for a moment before Clark asked, 'Wanna talk about it?'

Lois's eyes were glued on the television, 'shshsh! She's about to go into the room!'

Clark sighed, Lois glanced at Clark as he watched the screen with a defeated expression, she wished it was that easy for her to open up, but it wasn't. Especially not when it came to her heart. But still, in was nice to know there was someone who cared, even if it was Clark Kent.

Clark knew her well enough to know that sooner or later, she'd open up, 'Incase you wanna talk, I'm a knock on the door away.' He said as he climbed to his feet, Lois paused, 'where are you goin?'

'To bed, Lois,' Clark said as he stifled a yawn.

'Uh...shouldn't I get the bed?'

Clark blinked at her. 'I'm sure you're strong enough to handle the couch...' he suggested.

Lois raised an eyebrow, 'chivalry IS dead...' she muttered as she watched him walk towards the bedroom, she looked down for a moment, 'I think he's taking something...' she finally said. Clark paused at the bedroom door, turning to look at her. Waiting for the green light...Lois gave him a sad smile, that was it, the green light, she wanted to talk. Clark studied her, burying his hands in his jean pockets, 'What do you think he's taking...?' he asked worriedly.

'Not your normal drugs, there was something different in his-'

'Eyes?' Clark asked. Lois nodded, she looked lost in thought, 'I couldn't quite place it, I'm not even sure I saw it-but I think they were greener...'

'His eyes are brown.' Clark said in a matter-of-factly way, he needed to know Lois was certain before he confronted Oliver.

'I KNOW they're brown Smallville, trust me, I spent a good few nights staring into his-'

'Okay, I get it. They were greener.' Clark said uncomfortably, Lois smirked to herself, making Clark uncomfortable was fun. 'So what do you wanna do...?'

'Well, we can't just confront him...he seemed...stronger.'

Any one else might have been worried, but not Clark, calling Clark strong would be an understatement.

'What do you mean?'

Lois looked as if she was struggling to describe it, 'He's...just grouchy and aggressive...but not your average-hot-male-aggressive, its a stronger kind...'

Clark frowned, 'What-?'

Lois sighed, she didn't want to tell anyone but she admitted it, 'He made a crack in a cement wall by throwing a water bottle at it.'

Clark stared at her, Lois groaned, 'I know...It's weird...freaky weird...but he's still Ollie, you know...I have to help him.'

'I??' Clark asked, if she thought he'd just LET her try and help Ollie alone when Ollie was this dangerous, she could forget about it. It just wasn't happening.

Lois let out a sigh, 'I think I should go back there and try to talk to him-'

'NO-'

Lois raised an eyebrow at Clark's sudden reaction, Clark shook his head, 'No, What if he doesn't wanna talk??'

Lois studied Clark, 'I can handle him.'

'Lois? You said it yourself-' Lois began shaking her head as she made her way towards the apartment door, 'He's dangerous-it's not safe-'

Lois turned on her heel, 'Look, Clark...it's sweet of you to be all protective of me-but I can handle this-'

'What if he hurts you?'

'I'll hurt him back...'

'Uh, Lois...If he's as strong as you said he is...? And as aggressive? Your military training won't get you that far.'

'I can't just leave him-' she argued.

'Lois-you were practically in tears at my door-You're not going back alone!'

Lois paused as she saw Clark in a new light.

Was Clark Jealous...? Lois stared at him, stunned and flustered both at once, she silently shook it off, no, this was Clark she was talking about...no way.

'Why do you care so much?' she asked, her eyes on his. Clark suddenly felt as though he was standing under a spotlight. The way she was looking at him made him feel uneasy and exposed, her gaze penetrated his tough demeanour.

'I...don't-' he lied, much to his own surprise, 'I just-'

'I dated him Clark.' Lois said after a moment, 'I doubt he'll hurt me.'

'I don't wanna wait and find out...' Clark said, not caring if his concern for her wellbeing came to light. Her safety was more important to him at that moment.

'Trust me Clark. I know what I'm doing.'

With that, she stubbornly walked away, as far as she was concerned she didn't need protecting. Clark needed to get over it, she would do whatever she wanted to.

Clark frowned, fine, if she wanted to go, she could go. He wasn't going after her. He looked in the mirror. No he wasn't going after her...no...Lois was right, she capable of handling her personal baggage. She was her own person and didn't need his protection. There was no way he was going after her tonight.

Twenty seconds later:

He let out a defeated sigh, ofcourse he was going after her. It was Lois. Grabbing his jacket, he supersped out of the apartment, he wouldn't go as Clark Kent, he'd go as his more popular hooded-alter-ego.

Oliver's apartment:

Lois found Ollie's apartment door wide open, 'Oliver...?' she called loudly, the furniture was strewn across the wooden floor, the couch was toppled upside down, and there was a whole in the roof. The place looked like it had been trashed by someone.

'Oliver?' she felt a familiar feeling of alarm filling her as she heard the bathroom door creak. 'Ollie is that you...?'

She crouched as she picked up several documents from the floor and scanned them, it was some sort of research data. Stuffed them into her bag she turned around at the sound of footsteps approaching her from behind, two masked men pulled stood over her with a menacing green glint in both their eyes.

'Where's Queen?' One demanded.

'Screw you-' Lois said, the second masked man glared at her, lifting a hand, he gestured at the mirror, it flew across the room and hit the wall, inches from her head. Lois jumped, looking panicked, 'Let's not get wreckless now...' she said with a nervous smile as she backed away, her eyes landed on a broken shard of glass on the floor. She slowly moved towards it, but the first man noticed and gestured at it, sending it streaking towards her.

Lois flinched, she felt a cold gust of wind, opening her eyes, she saw that the hooded man she'd been writing about had appeared and taken the shard straight to his chest. He took a deep breath and blew at the two men, freezing both of them instantly, so neither could move. He turned to Lois as she reached out and touched his chest, 'you're not hurt...' she said, marvelling at him.

The hooded man touched her cheek, 'Are you Okay?'

Her heart began pounding in her chest as she stared up at him, 'I am now.' She tiptoed, but he suddenly pulled away, 'You shouldn't be out alone at this hour Lois.'

Before Lois could react at the rejection and the fact that he knew her name, he supersped past the two masked men, taking them with him, and zoomed out of the apartment. Leaving Lois standing with a shocked expression. As the spell broke, she noticed that the documents that were on the floor were gone, he had stolen them from right beneath her nose, 'HEY!' she called with an infuriated expression.

End chapter Four:


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: A Strange sensation

After questioning the attackers he had caught, Clark intended on heading off to find Oliver. But before he could go any further, he wondered if Lois had really tried to kiss him...or was it just imagination?

What surprised him more than the initial shock, was how it made him feel. For a moment when she leaned in, he had wanted to kiss her more than words could say... He dropped his hood, still dumbfounded at the revelation. He had feelings for Lois and they weren't just any feelings, he groaned internally as reality hit him. He was attracted to her.

Pulling off his hooded jacket, he stuffed it into his side bag.

'Clark!?' The sound of Lois's voice echoed through the street.

Clark turned around to face her, 'Uh Hey...' he said, trying not to seem too flustered.

'What are you doing here?'

'I was just...uh-'

Lois looked at him expectantly, but he had nothing to say, shaking her head at him, she continued, 'Anyway, Ollie isn't in his apartment, but these two guys turned up...they could move things with their minds...it was weird-anyway, our neighbourhood friendly hero swooped in and saved the day...and then robbed me.'

Clark blinked, 'what do you mean he robbed you?'

'Ollie had left paperwork all over the apartment floor, I was gonna steal them-but then he stole them right from under my nose...'

'And you didn't notice? What were you doing?' he asked casually. Lois glanced at Clark as she thought to herself, 'trying to kiss him' wouldn't make her sound too good.

'I was just...uh...' she shrugged, 'That's not the point!'

Clark smiled at her as she rambled on. His alter-ego made her a hopeless romantic, this amused Clark endlessly.

'What?'

Clark snapped out of his trance, 'nothing, nothing...'

'Lois? Clark?'

They both turned around to see Oliver looking ragged and tired, as he came closer, Clark noticed the bruising under his eyes.

'Ollie what happened?!' Lois asked as she ran to him, as Clark tried to focus on Oliver, his eyes kept drifting to Lois as she fussed over Oliver. Clark felt a hint of dismay set in as watched Lois and Oliver. 

He silently scolded himself for even thinking Lois was over Ollie, and Clark might have romantic feelings for Lois. What was he thinking, Lois wasn't any girl, she certainly wasn't Lana...but a part of Clark couldn't help but wonder why she made him feel so restless, if it was a platonic friendship.

'Clark?! A little help would be nice!' Lois called at him as she tried to help Oliver stand, Clark hurried to Oliver's side, 'I got ya...'

Oliver groaned, the concern in Lois's eyes may not have been visible to Oliver, but it seemed to blind Clark.

'They came after me...' he wheezed weakly, Clark frowned, 'Who came after you?'

'He did, with his men-'

Lois threw Clark a concerned look, Clark pried for more information, 'Did 'they' do this to you?'

Oliver shook his head, 'its the...its the crystal...the green crystal, its...its taking over...'

Clark studied him, 'Oliver, it's killing you...'

'What green crystal?' Lois asked, Clark turned to her, ignoring her question, 'we need to get him to a hospital...'

'My abilities,' he said hoarsely, 'they're gone Clark...I'm no good for anyone.'

Lois stared at Oliver for a moment, Clark knew about Oliver's secret-life as a hero?? She felt a wave of anger, why hadn't Clark told her? She already knew, but it hurt to know that he would knowingly keep her in the dark. They would definitely be talking about this later.

Oliver's Hospital suite:

Lois watched over Oliver as he lay in the hospital bed, she climbed to her feet as Clark walked in, 'Well...?' she asked impatiently, 'what'd they say?'

Clark looked at her, he hated being the bearer of bad news, 'its not looking good...' He watched his words hit her slowly, she looked away for a moment, taking in a deep breath.

'And?' she enquired sadly.

Clark looked down, 'they're keeping him in the hospital until further notice, he could slip into paralysis at any point...'

Lois stared at Clark, she sank back into her seat as she watched Oliver, Clark's heart felt heavier in his chest as he watched her lean over Oliver and whisper, 'what have you done to yourself?' she bit her bottom lip for a moment as she fought back her tears. Clark wondered what Ollie took, it couldn't have been kryptonite alone, there must have been something else in the mix. He'd seen people infected by kryptonite, it didn't kill them. The only person it was lethal to was Clark.

Lois touched Oliver's forehead, 'did they say anything about the tox report?'

Clark shook his head, 'they haven't identified the two substances they found in his blood yet.'

Lois nodded, Clark didn't know how he could help, he offered all he could think of, 'Look, Lois, I'll stay tonight, You should get some rest.'

'No, I'm staying.' Her tone was final.

Clark studied her, if that was what she wanted he could handle it, pulling up a chair he sat opposite Lois, Oliver lay on the bed between them. Lois's eyes flickered to Clark's for a moment, Clark offered her a small smile, but she simply turned back to Oliver.

Clark furrowed his brow slightly as he x-rayed Oliver, he couldn't see any substance that stood out in his blood, there were a few kryptonite crystals here and there. But other than that, his blood seemed a dark shade of red.

'Did you know when I was dating him?' Lois asked, her eyes still on Oliver.

Clark frowned, 'What?'

Lois looked fed up, she met Clark's gaze with a silent accusation, 'That he was green arrow. Did you know when I was dating him?'

Clark looked down, feeling guilty, 'Lois...I-'

'Don't justify it Clark-'

'I wanted to protect you-'

'Do you know how stupid I feel? Knowing that you knew all along and never said a word? You just let him stroll in and sweep me off my feet?'

Clark lifted his guilt-ridden gaze, 'Lois, he was a good guy...he was doing good. He was helping people- He-'

'Clark, someone who lies about who he is to the woman he's supposed to be in love with, can't be worth protecting-'

'You're protecting him now-'

'This isn't about me and Ollie, its about YOU and ME.' she said loudly.

Clark watched her as she shook her head, 'you know what? Forget it. You should go.'

'Lois, I'm not leaving you here, it's not safe-'

'I can take care of myself.' She said bluntly. The man of steel felt her words shoot straight through him and hit him in the heart.

'I trusted you. You know that? If I had dirt on a girl you were dating, I'd tell you, so you wouldn't feel like an idiot when you discovered it.'

Clark hadn't thought of it that way, 'Look I'm sorry. But what did you want me to say? What right do I have to tell you not to date a guy? It's not like you care about what I think, besides, I didn't want you to think I was jealous or anyth-' Clark bit his tongue, stopping himself from revealing anything else that seemed to come from his heart.

Lois lifted her head, her gentle brown eyes searched his blue gaze, 'Why would I think you're jealous?' her confused expression made Clark regret saying it.

Clark shook his head, 'you know what? You're right, I should go.'

Grabbing his bag, he walked out of the room. Lois felt her heart sink slightly, she didn't want to push Clark away, he was all she had these days.

Lois let out a sigh, 'Clark...?'

Clark did his best to ignore her as he stalked down the hallway, he needed to get away from Lois, his feelings were driving him crazy, one moment he was attracted to her, the other he was denying it, what was wrong with him?!

Lois entered the hallway, following Clark, 'Hey! Smallville!'

Clark stopped in his steps, he turned to face her as she caught up with him, 'yeah?' he said softly.

Lois smiled at him, 'I'm sorry.' Clark studied her, her tone was soft, almost guilty.

He gave her a small smile, 'it's okay...I'm sorry about Oliver.'

Lois nodded, 'Yeah...me too.' She looked up at him this time, something else in her eyes, but he couldn't figure out what it was, she tiptoed suddenly, pecking him on the cheek. Clark felt his cheeks redden.

'What was that for...?' he asked with a flustered expression, Lois grinned at his blushing expression.

'For being there. You're all I have these days Smallville, it's sad, I know.' With that, she brushed past him, hitting his shoulder with hers as she past and headed towards Oliver's room.

Clark turned around to watch her go, marvelling in her wake. A strange sensation spread over him, as he asked himself a question he never thought he'd ask.

When had he fallen for Lois Lane...?

End chapter Five:


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six: Free Falling

Solomon Grundy:

Solomon Grundy, formerly known as Cyrus Gold to the family he once belonged to, was now the owner of one of the largest and lucrative hotels in Metropolis. He watched over the city from the roof of the hotel, he may have been indestructible, but he still had emotions, and today, he was feeling particularly down, wishing he had an ounce of memory or recollection of who he was and where he belonged on this bizarre yet temporary planet. The problem was, whenever he died, he would come back to life, but it was more of a catch-22 than a gift, as with each death, he'd forget who he was previously, and all that was left of his heart was an empty shell, where someone may or may not have belonged.

Flashback: The last time Cyrus Gold met his untimely, but temporary death:

2 years earlier: Sunday evening:

'Cyrus!'

Cyrus grinned at his girlfriend Jade and her son Tommy, who jumped up and down with joy at seeing his new father-figure walking out of his office.

'Uncle Cyrus!' he yelled with excitement, 'are we really going to the beach?'

Cyrus lifted Tommy up into his arms, 'Yes we are son,' he laughed as Tommy beamed at him.

Jade smiled at Cyrus, 'you've been working alot more lately, everything okay?'

Cyrus smiled at the woman who made everything in life worthwhile for him, 'yeah, it's fine, come on, let's hit the beach...' he turned to Tommy, 'we'll sit in the sun and get ice cream...how does that sound?'

Tommy grinned enthusiastically, 'that sounds great!' Cyrus felt his heart warm in his chest as he watched the 8 year old boy joyfully run to Cyrus's car.

Jade slipped her fingers through his as they walked towards the car, 'Jade...?'

'Yeah?'

'Where do you see us in two years from now?' he asked softly.

Jade shrugged, 'Happy, I hope.'

Cyrus smiled at her warmly, he glanced at Tommy, 'Tommy, be careful near the road, wait at the lights for us, don't cross!'

Tommy ran ahead of them, Cyrus turned to face Jade.

'You remember the first time we met? We were right here, on this road,' Jade nodded as she stifled a laugh, 'you were yelling on the phone at one of your colleagues for not completing a delivery.'

'And I walked right into you, knocking you out...' Jade ran a hand through his orange curls, 'what's wrong Cyrus, why're you bringing this up?'

'Nothing's wrong, I just...' he suddenly kneeled on one knee, Jade put a hand over her mouth, momentarily forgetting the world around them.

'Will you marry me?' he asked, his blue eyes searched hers as tears streamed down her cheeks, she grinned, 'of course I'll marry you-'

'MOM!?'

Cyrus and Jade turned around at the sound of Tommy's voice, he was standing paralyzed in the middle of the road as a large chemical carrying truck reeled towards him.

'TOMMY!' Cyrus yelled, without hesitating he sprinted towards the child, pushing him out the way within moments of the collision, the truck began to swerve out of control as it hit Cyrus full on.

Jade clutched onto Tommy, holding him close, as she stared on in horror.

'Cyrus!'

A large explosion made the ground quake, green and red chemicals filled the air.

Cyrus found himself being hurled across the roof tops with debris from the explosion, his journey came to a halt as he landed face first on a brick roof.

Metropolis hospital: the Metropolitan Morgue, 12:01 A.M, Monday:

A pair of blue eyes jolted awake, the forensics expert stared down at the ginger haired man on the autopsy table with terror in his eyes, dropping the utensils in his hands, he ran out of the morgue.

The man sat up, staring down at his own body, the cuts and bruises on his chest seemed to vanish within moments, climbing to his feet, he stared at the mirror. A stranger with grey skin and a scar on his face stared back at him. Who was he?

He glanced at the calendar on the wall, 'Monday...' he stared at the bizarre room he was in, it felt almost as hollow as he did.

End flashback:

Solomon had no memory of who he was, but he knew what he was, he was the most powerful mobster in Metropolis, having no past only urged him to excel further, because he had nothing to 

lose. Deciding that fate had drawn him a tough hand, he chose to use his powers for himself, why help others when there was no one out there helping him?

All he remembered was waking up alone in a morgue, with nobody there to claim him as his own.

Nobody at all, and it made him despise people, out of the thousands who lived in this city, not one had stepped up and claimed him. Naming himself Solomon Grundy because he was reborn on a Monday, he gathered himself and his emotions and headed out to make the world his. This world may not have wanted him, but he wanted the world, and nothing would stop him.

'Mr Grundy?'

Solomon turned around, tearing his eyes away from what would eventually be all his.

'Yes?'

Nicholas watched their masked boss, as Drake spoke nervously, 'We couldn't find Queen.'

Solomon stared at the two men he had sent, 'Nicholas. Drake.' He said calmly, 'I don't want you to find him. I want you to get me the data he gathered. Queen was well on his way to discovering how to become invincible. I want that data, and I want him dead.' He didn't say it, but he didn't appreciate competition, be it a young hero experimenting with abilities, or be it lucrative business men trying to buy him out. Superpowers were HIS turf and he would be the ruler when he was through with the world. Metropolis was merely the first step on his stairway to harmony.

Metropolitan hospital:

Lois studied Oliver as he slowly awoke, he stifled a groan, 'Ollie?'

She cupped his face, 'Hey...' she grinned with relief, 'hey...it's me, Lois.'

'I know who you are,' he smiled softly as he spoke, 'Where's Clark?'

Lois frowned, she was the one here, right by his side, and he was asking for Clark, 'Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special.'

Oliver groaned, 'Lois, I need you to get Clark...'

'Okay, just-just, relax, okay...? I'm dialling him now.'

'Lois, I'm in trouble...'

Lois glanced at him as he writhed in pain, 'if you mean medically? I know.'

'Can you be serious for a second?' He sounded irritated, Lois watched him cautiously, 'I need you to inject me with the kryptonite compound, it's in my jacket pocket.'

'Ollie. I'm not gonna administer you drugs-' she said firmly.

'Lois, he's probably sending his men after me again-I need to be strong enough to beat them and then defeat him-'

'I don't know who you're talking about, but at what price?! This could kill you, you're clearly not the brightest of bulbs, I know that now, but-'

'LOIS, give me the compound!'

Lois frowned, why was he so alarmed??

Oliver stared over her shoulder at Nicholas and Drake, they pulled on their led-lined masks, and approached Oliver and Lois.

Lois slowly turned around, as Oliver stared past her shoulder, 'Ollie who are they??'

'Lois, inject me with the compound, NOW-!' he barked.

Lois grabbed the injection from Oliver's pocket, but one of the men used telekinesis and tossed her aside. She hit the wall with a loud thud.

'LOIS!?'

Alarmed, Oliver mustered all his strength and scrambled off the bed, hitting the hard floor face firs, he groaned in pain as he pulled out the IV tube, and grabbed the injection that was now on the floor-Nicholas simply gestured the IV needle to hit Oliver in the neck, Oliver grunted, dropping the injection.

Clark supersped in knocking out Drake with a hard shove, Drake went flying straight through the window, the sound of glass smashing drew Lois's attention, she stared at Clark as she awoke from the floor.

'Clark!'

Clark turned around at the sound of her voice, 'Lois are you okay??' he asked as he ran to her side, helping her to her feet.

'Clark-BEHIND YOU!'

Clark turned in super-speed-mode, time slowed down around him just enough for him to see a silvery wave heading his way, before he could react it hit him and Lois full on.

They fell to the ground, with Lois landing on top of him, she stared down at him for a moment, completely flustered. Clark on the other hand, was much more task orientated, he pushed her off and tackled one of the men, knowing that using his abilities wasn't an option in front of Lois.

Oliver injected the serum straight into his heart, closing his eyes, the chaos and fighting around him seemed to occur in slow motion. He had injected a bigger dose than usual, unaware of the lethal effects they would have on him. His eyes burst open, his pupils were an illuminated green.

Clark suddenly felt weaker, he turned to Oliver, one of the men grabbed Clark as Clark shoved him, they both went face first out of the window.

'CLARK!?' Lois yelled in horror as she ran over to the window, she stared down at Clark, 'CLARK! Hold on!' he was hanging by his hands, no superpowers, just adrenaline.

Oliver looked straight past Clark as he leaned out of the window and shot heat rays at the Nicholas as he fell. Oliver's heart began to pulsate, he had lost grip on his power, he groaned and firmly shut his eyes, before they blasted open and incinerated an entire building. The building collapsed, people in the streets beneath Clark began screaming and yelling.

Clark felt his grip slipping, he needed his abilities back so he could save himself and protect Lois, and hopefully stop Oliver. But Oliver smiled coldly at Clark.

'OLIVER-GET AWAY FROM ME!' Clark yelled, Lois grabbed one of Clark's hands, in a futile attempt to help pull him up.

'Clark hold on-Ollie help me!'

Oliver turned to face Lois, Lois stared at him, his pupils were green, and his veins were throbbing. His breathing sounded shallow as his heart pounded rapidly in his chest. He had a hunger for power.

Clark yelled to Lois, 'LOIS, GET OUT OF HERE! GO!'

'I'm not leaving you!' she yelled back adamantly, Clark didn't have the strength to argue with her anymore, Oliver smirked as he yanked Clark up with one hand, holding Clark by the collar as Clark began to turn pale.

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM!?' Lois shouted at Ollie, who stared at Clark with a disdainful look.

'Not so powerful and noble now, are you Clark?'

Lois tried to shove Oliver, before she could reach him, he put out a hand, hitting her in the chest with an impact that sent her flying backwards into the hospital equipment near his bed.

Realising what he had done, Oliver turned to see if she was okay, but the terror he saw in her eyes as she looked up at him helplessly hit home. He had become something he couldn't control, his worry turned to a sick thrill as he reeled from the power he had. Clark's eyes fluttered open, seeing Lois injured on the floor, he could only think of one thing to save her. He grunted with effort as he pulled Ollie backwards with him sending them both falling out of the window, hurtling towards the ground at a devastating speed.

'CLARK!?' Lois called after him, she ran to the window and peered down as the two men plummeted towards the concrete ground. It was at that moment, Lois Lane realised why she was so terrified of losing Clark Kent. Somewhere over the last four years, she had fallen for him.

Clark stared up at Oliver who clutched Clark tightly with panic in his eyes, a powerless Clark grunted as Oliver punched him in the nose, as they rolled in mid-air.

'WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!' Oliver glared in terror at Clark.

'It's the only way to stop you!' he grunted back. 'You've lost control Ollie!'

'YOU'RE GONNA KILL BOTH OF US CLARK!'

'If that's what it takes to save everyone from you-then that's what I'll do!'

Clark shoved Oliver away from him as the cold wind whipped them both around as they hurtled downwards at a greater speed than before, but Oliver wasn't through with Clark, he grabbed Clark's collar again.

Clark had never felt this powerless as they both fell towards the concrete pavement below. He didn't care for death much, but he didn't want this to be the last time he laid eyes on Lois. The only person he could think of left him stunned, it wasn't Lana Lang, it wasn't his mom or his dad, it wasn't even Chloe, it was...Lois Lane.

'CLARK!?' He lifted his head to see Lois standing in the window calling out for him, atleast she was safe. Her eyes were full of tears and pain as she found herself equally powerless to stop it.

Lois watched helplessly through her tears as Oliver and Clark free-fell even faster.

Clark hit the ground with a hard thud, Oliver landed besides him, several sirens resounded throughout the streets as firemen tried to stop the raging fire in the building Oliver had incinerated. Ambulances came to a screeching halt as civilians helped injured people onto them.

Lois ran out of the building, coming to a halt opposite the cracked concrete and Oliver and Clark's still bodies. She burst into sobs as she kneeled besides them both, burying her face in her hands.

End chapter six:


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Life in Limbo

Lois cupped Clark's pale face, as her tears fell on his cheek, she whispered, 'please, please, stay with me, please Clark...' she pulled him into her arms, holding his lifeless body close to hers as she sobbed into his shoulder.

The wound on his forehead began to heal and quickly fade, his eyes opened, he hadn't felt this weak before, he found himself in Lois's arms, 'Lois...?' he whispered weakly, Lois stared down at him, a mixture of shock and joy spread across her features. Hugging him tightly on instinct she immediately let go as he let out a pained groan.

'Sorry! Sorry!' she said apologetically, 'Clark?' Feeling light headed Clark's eyes fluttered shut again. 'Clark?!'

She didn't get a reply. Her heart was pounding with a terror she hadn't known before, paramedics suddenly swarmed around her, lifting Clark and Ollie onto separate ambulances. A paramedic turned to Lois, 'Which victim do you know?'

Lois blinked, without thinking it through she said 'Clark. Clark Kent.'

'Are you family...?' the paramedic asked.

'I'm his...partner.' She let the paramedic assume what he wanted, she had meant partners at the daily planet.

'Come on in.' Lois climbed into the ambulance, sitting besides Clark, she held his hand. As the ambulance doors shut, she saw Oliver's ambulance drive past Clark's, but the wave of guilt wasn't enough to make her release Clark's hand.

Metropolitan hospital:

Solomon Grundy watched Oliver, 'You say, the patient's in a coma and things aren't looking good?'

The nurse nodded, 'yes,' she glanced down at the sheet of visitors, the burley man, with very grey skin hadn't signed in, 'I'm sorry, who did you say you were?'

'I didn't.' He replied casually and strolled out of the room. Oliver lay motionless on the hospital bed.

Lois walked through the hallway with a cup of coffee, she lingered outside Oliver's door, peering through the window. Trying to make sense of several emotions whirling through her mind at that point, she watched him for a moment. She had never, not once, felt the terror she felt when she almost lost Clark, when she had been close to losing Ollie. Even the heartache that took hold of her when Clark lay on the ground motionless didn't resemble the small aching she felt when she broke up with Oliver. She hadn't felt this way about anyone before, and being Lois Lane, this meant only one thing, her defences were going UP around Clark.

She headed towards the door of Clark's room, she watched him from the window for a moment, his chest steady rose and fell, the doctors refused to do any tests until they got a hold of Martha Kent, and Clark awoke from the temporary coma he was in.

'Miss Lane?'

Lois looked up from the window, a rather large man with orange hair stood behind her. His skin was strange, almost as if it were grey, 'Yeah?'

'Who is that?'

'That's Clark Kent...' she smiled softly, 'he's my partner at the Daily Planet. Can I help you?'

The man seemed to watch Clark intently, 'he survived a very, very large fall. Do you wonder why?'

'I'm starting to believe in miracles.'

'I believe in power.' He replied calmly. Lois felt a chill down her spine, 'I'm sorry, I didn't get your name,' she said suspiciously.

The man smiled, his blue eyes were almost vacant, 'Solomon Grundy.'

Lois studied him, 'Born on a Monday?' she quipped.

The man simply looked at her, 'I'll see you around Miss Lane.'

With that, the stranger walked away.

'Weirdo,' she muttered, shaking it off, she headed into Clark's room.

Clark's dream:

He felt unsteady as he looked down, he was metres from the ground, the city of Metropolis cheering him on, the clear skies above him began to turn grey, Clark looked down, the people had vanished. He was alone and afraid, floating in limbo, his feet metres from the ground, his head miles from the sky, his heart began to pound in his chest. The figure of a woman approached him but he couldn't make out her features. All he knew was that she would save him. Slipping his hand into hers, his feet steadily reached the ground and he was in control again.

End dream:

Lois watched Clark as he furrowed his brow in his deep sleep. A part of her stubbornly decided that he WOULD wake up. The doctors hadn't said whether it was temporary or permanent, she didn't understand herself well enough to understand what she felt. She just knew she couldn't lose him. That was the only thing she could comprehend from her mixture of feelings, they all responded to one thought, losing Clark. But she simply wouldn't let that happen. It was as simple as that. For the 

first time in her life, she wasn't asking questions about how this miracle had happened, how he had survived the fall, because at that moment, she didn't care. For some reason, she longed for Clark to throw her one of his unimpressed looks that he often threw her way, the same look she often returned. She touched his cheek, 'Clark...?'

There was no response. Her defences began to crumble, 'Look,' she said after taking in a tortured breath, 'I don't know or understand why I'm feeling the way I feel right now. I should be with Ollie right now, given our past...But I can't lose you.' Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to keep up her tough demeanour, 'Don't let me down Smallville.' She whispered with a teary-eyed smile. 'Please.'

There was still no response.

Lois closed her eyes for a moment, her heart began to sink. She always lost the people she cared about, it was the curse of being a Lane, first her mother, her father never really cared, Chloe moved on, AC, Jonathon Kent, even Ollie...She somehow wound up alone, no matter how she felt about someone. It was the fear of feeling that maiming loneliness, that helplessness and that need for another person that made Lois the way she was. She refused to be needy, let alone in love. She was no good at it. Some people were better off alone. Maybe it made her a coward, for knowing that if she ever truly loved and lost someone, she wouldn't be able to handle it. But she didn't care. Being in control of her emotions kept her safe. That's what her father had taught her, self-preservation.

She had been content with her life, she'd been growing her own way until she stumbled upon Clark Kent. Unlike any other man she had ever known, Clark wasn't the type to let her down, betray her, or even hurt her. He was honourable, and for that, she admired him endlessly. As she watched Clark's still body, she almost regretted being so tough on him.

'I'm so sorry,' she whispered, apologising for breaking into tears. Unaware that Clark had stirred in his sleep, she straightened at the sound of footsteps scuffling in the hallway and the hubbub of medics running into Oliver's room.

Lois climbed to her feet and ran out of the door, hoping Oliver was okay.

Oliver's room:

'He's flat-lining!' the nurse stated as the doctor jolted him with electricity.

'Come on!' the doctor said desperately, 'Come on, stay with us!' he jolted Oliver again, but there was no response. The monitor let out one last beep, Lois stopped breathing for a moment.

Clark's room:

Clark jolted awake, sitting up, he wheezed for breath, shirtless, cold and alone, he slowly regained his memory of everything that had happened.

Oliver's room:

A single tear from Lois's eyes hit the hospital floor with a gentle thud, Oliver was gone. The doctor shoved aside the equipment out of frustration at losing a patient. Lois stared at Oliver's limp body. He really was gone.

The hallway:

'Mr Kent, I advise you rest-'

Lois turned on her heel, 'Clark?' she said to herself.

Her eyes landed on a shirtless and dishevelled Clark being ushered into his room, but looking past the nurse, he simply stared at Lois, Lois let her tears fall as she ran into his arms, hugging him tightly.

'Clark! Oh thank god,' she said brokenly, Clark held her close for a long moment, then pulling away, he looked down at her, 'Are you okay?'

'You fell out of a 6-story building, you tell me...'

Clark tried to smile but the tears in her eyes wouldn't let him, 'What happened? Where's Oliver?'

Lois's eyes stung with guilty tears, 'He uh...' she fell silent, seeing the heartbroken look on her face was enough for Clark to understand. He silently pulled her into his arms again.

End chapter Seven:


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: A Guilty Gaze

Lois stood opposite Oliver's coffin, the sound of grey clouds rumbling were the only noise to break the heavy silence between Lois and Clark as they stared down at the coffin. Rain drops camouflaged Lois's tears as she felt a lump form in her throat. She tried to convince herself that she had no reason to feel guilty. But her heart wouldn't listen, it knew her better than she wished it did, and it knew all about the feelings she had kept hidden so well and ignored for so long at the back of her mind. The feelings she had for Clark Kent. She glanced over at an equally distraught looking Clark, dressed in a black suit, he too was staring down at Oliver's coffin. Lois wondered what he was thinking, as all her thoughts seemed to have left her feeling empty.

Clark wondered how a man like Oliver, who had touched so many lives and saved so many people, had such an empty funeral. Maybe the secret identities they both tried to keep weren't the only thing they had in common. His eyes drifted to Lois, who quickly turned away, avoiding Clark's gaze. Clark wondered why she was being so distant with him.

As the few people who tended the funeral began to scatter, Clark turned to Lois, 'you okay?' he asked.

'Oliver's dead Clark.' She said simply, without even looking at him. She was refusing to meet his gaze, afraid of what she might get caught feeling for him. She knew what she felt, she just hated how it looked. When they were both near death, she had chosen to be besides Clark on instinct, with no hesitation or recollection for what Ollie and her were or what they had once had. And for that decision, the guilt she felt was endless.

Clark watched Lois walk away and become one of the crowd as it began to rain even harder, Clark looked up at the sky, wondering what he did to deserve Lois's lack of attention. Maybe she was in love with Oliver after all he decided silently. Maybe that's why she couldn't bare to be around Clark, maybe she blamed him. He felt the familiar burden of guilt once again resting on his shoulders. His guilty gaze met hers briefly before she turned away for the last time and headed out of the cemetery.

Three days Later:

The Daily Planet:

Clark walked into the Daily Planet, he had two cups of coffee in his hands, for some reason he felt as if he having something to offer her, would give him less reason to feel uncomfortable when talking to her.

His optimistic attitude faded as his eyes landed on her empty desk again, he had been making it a point to be at the Daily Planet as much as possible to increase his chances of bumping into her. He didn't know how to cope without his daily dose of Lois Lane's patronisation.

Jimmy walked upto him, 'Hey CK, coffee for me?' Before Clark could answer, Jimmy had taken the cup and began sipping from it. 'It's the new years eve party tomorrow night.'

'Oh yeah,' Clark replied unenthusiastically. He let out a defeated sigh as he settled onto his desk opposite Lois's vacant desk.

Lois walked into the daily planet, she stopped in her steps as she saw Clark staring at her empty desk and Jimmy talking to him, she paused in the door way, deciding that the files she needed to pickup really weren't THAT important, and she should go back to her apartment. She closed her eyes for a moment, unimpressed with herself, she'd rather drive home than face Clark and the feelings that came with him. Some friend she was...

'You're missing her huh?' Jimmy was asking Clark, Lois watched the two of them, Clark was wearing a grey suit and a navy shirt, his hair slightly ruffled. Lois waited for his answer.

'Do you know where she is?' he asked, not acknowledging the question, 'I've knocked at her door and she won't answer...she won't pick up her cell phone when I ring her...'

Jimmy flinched, Clark frowned, 'is the coffee that bad?'

'Maybe she's avoiding you...'

'What did I do?' Clark rightfully asked.

'I dunno, chicks are complicated though CK, any guy will tell you that.'

Lois watched as Jimmy patted a defeated looking Clark on the shoulder and walked away, she glanced down at her feet. They were urging her to walk into the office, but as much as she tried to hide it...when it came to real things, and real love, she was a coward. She paused, did she just think of the word 'Love??' Okay, this was too much.

'Urgh, Back home I go...' she muttered.

Clark turned around, glancing at the empty doorway of the daily planet, his eyes instinctively searching for Lois, why was he missing her this much? It made no sense.

End chapter eight


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Denial, Jealousy and Lois Lane

Lois took a deep breath as she stood outside the daily planet, enough was enough, big deal, it turned out she had feelings for Clark, so what? They were nothing she couldn't handle...

'Alright Lo, just walk in there... Just.Go. ' Taking her own advice, she calmly walked into the daily planet, she frowned as she saw Clark's empty desk.

'Oh...' she said with a look of dismay, 'all that preparation just went to waste...smooth Lois...real smooth...' she muttered, closing her eyes to calm herself, she began turning towards her desk, 'Uff!' someone bumped into her, scowling, she opened her eyes-

'Watch where you're- Clark?' her voice sounded nervous as he held her in his arms.

'Lois...?' he looked equally surprised to see her, 'You should really pay attention to where you're going...'

Lois frowned, 'you walked into me-'

'I-' the phone at his desk began to ring, 'I should get that...'

Lois nodded. She watched him carefully, it all felt so normal, their bickering, their accidental collisions, he didn't even ask her where she had been lately...Lois paused, he didn't even ask her where she had been...she didn't like that.

'Why are you calling?' Clark said as he spoke into the phone, 'you made it pretty clear before.'

Lois slammed her newspaper down on her desk out of frustration, was she really annoyed at not being the centre of attention to Clark Kent? She slumped onto her desk, watching Clark and blatantly eaves dropping on his conversation.

Clark suddenly stood up, 'Alright. I'll see you in an hour...'

'Where ya goin Smallville?'

Clark shook his head, 'Uh...I gotta...meet someone-'

This made Lois sit up in her chair, either he was seeing someone he didn't want Lois to know he was seeing, or he was pursuing a story.

'Let me grab my bag..'

Clark sighed, there was no polite way to tell her to stay.

'Look Lois...I need to do this alone.'

Lois frowned, 'who rang?' she asked, the concern in her heart was written across her face. 'Clark?' she tried to meet his gaze but he simply looked away. He was upset over this phonecall, now there was no way she could just let it go.

Lois stood up, 'I'm coming with you to meet whoever this is.' She said firmly.

Clark looked at her, 'Lois, it's none of your business.' His blunt words managed to sting her, she nodded, hiding her hurt.

'Okay.' She said quietly, sitting back into her seat, she watched him walk out of the Daily Planet, grabbing her bag, she waited for a moment before following him.

Lois frowned as she looked back and fourth down the street, Clark was nowhere to be seen. How did he vanish like that? She sighed, 'FINE...' she said as she looked up at the sky, 'I can take a hint.'

Stomping her feet as she stalked back into the daily planet, she bumped into Jimmy, 'Ow, Lois, you should really watch where you're goin-'

'Will people stop saying that!?'

Jimmy blinked at her, Lois let out a defeated sigh, 'Sorry Jimmy, I think Clark's avoiding me...'

'Like you've been avoiding him?'

'I haven't-' she began to argue, but the look Jimmy gave her silenced her, but she wasn't backing down that easily, 'I-I'

'You?' He shrugged, 'I don't know what happened between you guys, but i'm sure you'll work it out-'

'Nothing happened, what makes you say something happened?'

'Because there's this tension-'

'Jimmy?' he looked at her, 'Shut up.' She said, pretending to be appalled at the thought of him implying her and Clark had romantic feelings for eachother.

Jimmy sighed, 'When he left...did he look kinda ...distant?'

'Kind of...'

Jimmy nodded, 'Lana Lang.'

'What?'

'That's the look he had on his face when she rang yesterday.'

Lois felt her stomach turn, 'Lana rang?' why hadn't Clark said anything?

'Yeah, they were arranging to meet up today. That's probably where he's gone...' Jimmy noticed her worried expression, 'Uh Lois?'

'Where did you say they went?'

'Uh I didn't-'

'JIMMY-'

'Clark's place.' He mumbled quickly.

'Right. Okay...If Perry asks, I'm out writing a story-'

Before Jimmy could reply, Lois turned on her heel and walked out of the revolving doors.

Jimmy let out a defeated sigh.

Perry popped his head out of his office, 'Olsen? Where are Lane and Kent?'

'Uh...'

Clark's apartment:

Lana gazed at Clark, 'I just wanted to say that...I'm sorry.'

Clark stared at her, he didn't know what to say, 'You wanted to see me to tell me you're sorry?'

Lana looked down, there were so many other things she needed to tell him, but she decided he wouldn't be able to bear it.

'Clark...I'm going to Paris. For ever.'

Clark let her words in, letting them sink into his heart, 'I think you should leave.'

Lana blinked back tears, 'Clark?'

'What do you want me to say Lana?'

'I don't know Clark, maybe after everything we've been through you could atleast ACT like you care-'

'You left me with a VIDEO RECORDING.'

'I didn't know how else to-'

'Break my heart?' his words hung in the air between them. A convenient knock at the door grabbed his attention.

Without waiting for Clark to open it, Lois strolled in, unaware that Lana was still here.

'Lois??' his shocked voice didn't bring her out of her own world, her eyes were set on the donuts and coffee she carried into his apartment as she made herself at home.

'Look Clark, don't start-' she said as she set the food and drink onto his kitchen surface tops. 'Do you have any idea how much it sucks to hear it from Jimmy Olsen that the girl who crushed you has walked back into your life, and you didn't even bother to tell me?? I mean ME out of all people-we're PARTNERS now Clark, I'm trying to make this work, do you know how much I've missed you...?' she fell silent as her eyes landed on Lana.

'Lois...hey.' Lana said, a certain reservation spread of her.

'Lana...uh...' she looked to Clark, who shrugged helplessly, Lana turned to Clark, 'she bought you donuts and coffee.'

Clark looked at Lana with a panic in his eyes, Lana had gotten the wrong idea.

'No, it's not what you think-'

'Maybe you're right Clark...I should go.'

Clark stared at her as she walked back out of his life, Lois felt a wave of anger spread over her as she watched Lana Lang once again leave Clark crestfallen.

'Lana, wait up-' she said.

Clark frowned at her, Lois ignored him and walked out of the apartment, closing the door shut behind her.

Clark didn't dare to eavesdrop, he didn't want to know what they had to say to each other.

In the hallway:

'What Lois?'

Lois studied her, 'Look Lana, I don't know how your mind works, but you can't crush a guy like Clark and then walk back into his life, and then a minute later just stroll back out...he's not a robot, he can't take it-'

'Its sweet of you to be protective of a guy you barely know-'

'Barely Know??' Lois scoffed.

'Trust me Lois. There's alot more to Clark Kent than meets the eye.'

'I don't know what you think of Clark, but he has never done anything to knowingly hurt you, not whilst I've known him-'

'Like I said Lois, you don't really know him.'

'Why did you come here? Tell me there's not a part of you that regrets ending what you two had...'

Lana fell silent, Lois clearly cared for Clark more than she liked to show. 'Lois...take care of him.'

Lois watched Lana walk away.

A moment later Lois strolled back into Clark's apartment. He was sitting on the couch with his head buried in his hands, 'women, huh? Walk in and out of your life whenever they feel like it...' she said with a half-grin. Clark cast a glance at Lois, then returned to burying his head in his hands.

'Lois...I just...I wanna be alone right now.'

'Well that's something you're not getting.' Clark glared at her, how did she manage to infuriate him and touch his heart both at once??

'Why are you here?'

'Why have you been avoiding me?' she retorted.

'You were avoiding me first-'

'Only because I-'

'Because what?'

Lois bit her tongue. Clark's eyes drifted to the floor, 'I figured that...after everything that happened with Oliver, you needed some space...I guess, I thought you blamed me.'

Lois stared at him, 'Clark...what happened to Oliver, was his own fault. He didn't know his limits...he just...' she fell silent, not knowing what more to say. 'He lost the good in him. He let the power go to his head...'

'You sure know how to pick them huh?'

Lois grinned sadly, 'Tell me about it...You show me a hero and I'll walk out the door.' She joked, unfortunately for Clark, he didn't find it amusing.

'So...why didn't you tell me that Lana was back in town?' she asked, it was her turn to look at the ground. Clark cast a sideways glance at her, he turned to face the ground to.

'I told you Lois, I thought you wanted space.'

'You thought wrong.' She lied. She was handling hiding her feelings fairly well, or so she thought.

'I'm sorry.'

'About what?'

'Oliver.'

She smiled at him as their eyes met, she found herself feeling exposed under his piercing blue gaze as it searched her eyes.

That's when it happened, Lois Lane's heart began to pound in a way it hadn't before, the silence that filled the small distance between them screamed at her as her eyes drifted to his lips. Clark frowned, was Lois leaning in to kiss him? Before he could gauge what he was doing, he leaned in too, their lips were inches apart-a strong attraction pulled them closer, Clark felt a lump of guilt in his throat, she didn't know him the way she deserved to know him...he pulled away, his double-identity holding him back. Lois suddenly stood up, flustered and anxious to leave.

'I have to go.' She said hurriedly.

'Lois...' he said softly, Lois shook her head.

'Clark-' she whispered breathlessly, 'I...you're still hung up on Lana, and Oliver's gone...I just...it was just a momentary thing, it was nothing...' she gave him a reassuring smile, which faded just as quickly as the sparks that were between them seconds earlier. 'I should go.'

Clark climbed to his feet, 'Lois wait...'he said as his heart restlessly pounded in his chest.

'Clark, it's okay. I'm sorry...I shouldn't have...' shaking her head, she made an exit from his apartment. Pulling the door shut behind her, she left a flustered looking Clark trying to stop her from leaving.

Her heart raced in her chest, thumping loudly in her ears, she pressed her forehead against the door, unaware that the man she left inside placed a hand on the exact spot on the otherside of the door. Catching her breath and gathering her senses, she scolded herself. Clark didn't want her that way. She had never felt so embarrassed in her life. What was she thinking?!

'Urgh...Great going,' she mumbled at herself.

Clark pulled his hand away from the door, pausing for a moment, he considered going after her...but decided not to. What was he thinking? She had said it herself, it was a momentary thing. Maybe she didn't want him in that way. He slumped onto the couch wishing he could understand his own heart.

End chapter nine:


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Rooftops and Raindrops

The New Years Ball at The Daily Planet:

Lois glanced down at her maroon gown, she wore her hair in loose ringlets, needless to say, she looked dazzling. But she felt nervous, and embarrassed, she had turned up to the New Year's Ball for the Media, alone. She hadn't ticked plus one on the invitation, but still...it was odd. Her eyes scanned the room of strangers, a tall dark man smiled at her charmingly, smiling at him politely, she walked right past him.

What had gotten into her? Lately she felt turned off by any man who wasn't Clark Kent, and frankly, that worried her. She wasn't a promiscuous woman, but she liked to think she was independent and didn't NEED a man. But with Clark, it was different. Not only was he the most unlikely guy she could ever fall for, but she had also fallen in a way she hadn't fallen before. Head over heels.

Feeling alone, Lois climbed the stairwell to the balcony, she smiled up at the night sky as stars glinted in the distance, she took a sip of her drink, putting it down, she leaned her elbows on the balcony and watched over the city of Metropolis. Her father used to tell her she was better off alone, he used to say Love was a fool's errand, 'guess this makes me a fool.' She whispered, a raindrop landed on her head, letting out a defeated sigh, 'why not?' she said. As the words left her mouth, it began to rain softly.

The Ballroom:

On entering the ballroom, Clark immediately found himself searching for Lois. He had done alot of thinking, but no matter how hard he tried to find reasons for Lois and him not to be together, he'd always come back to marvelling at her and how she made him feel. He had recovered from the initial shock of what he and Lois felt when they almost kissed, he hadn't felt anything so powerful before, and of all people, he had felt it towards Lois. A strong attraction that was so much more than just lust, his shy but powerful attitude was completed by her outspoken but stubborn attitude. They were polar opposites, and the only rational thought in Clark's head was that Opposites Attract.

So much had happened over the years he had come to know her, unlike Lana Lang, Lois Lane made him wonder constantly. She was never dull and always challenged him, and as much as that exhausted him on some days, it was just as enjoyable.

There was a vulnerability that Lois only let Clark see for the briefest of moments, when Oliver left, when Lana left, when they had almost kissed on the couch. That was the side of Lois that was only privy to him.

Their bittersweet digs at eachother, their arguments and condescending attitudes towards eachother was something Clark had decided he couldn't stand, but lately, he found they were what he looked forward to the most. He had fallen in love with her somewhere between who he was and who was becoming, and he hadn't even realised it.

'Chief, where's Lois?'

Perry raised an eyebrow at Clark, 'Kent, I think she went upstairs.'

'Alone?'

'Well you're here, who else is she gonna be with?'

Clark smiled as he made his way to the stairwell that led to the balcony.

The Rooftop:

'Lois.'

Lois turned around at the sound of his voice. She felt her jaw hang open as her eyes took him in. His hair was slicked back, dressed in a maroon shirt and a tailored black suit, Clark looked more than handsome.

Clark lost his train of thought as his eyes landed on her, she was stunning, and probably the first woman to blow him away like this.

'Shouldn't you be inside with the guests, circulating and handing out your card?'

Clark smiled slightly as he his eyes met hers, 'Some of us aren't after the limelight in our careers Lois.'

Lois smiled as she replied, 'touché Smallville.'

His eyes drifted over her, he couldn't help himself, she looked captivating.

'Why are you out here in the rain Lois?'

'I could ask you the same thing.' She smiled, blatantly dodging his question, 'what are you doing up here?'

'Looking for you.' He replied simply.

Lois turned to face him, her cheeks reddened under his gaze, before she knew it, her heart was pounding, 'Don't look at me like that...' she whispered.

'I can't help it,' he smiled, Lois stared at him.

Clark decided to go for it. He couldn't stop how he was feeling, nor could he change them.

'Clark-'

Before she could react, he had leaned in to kiss her, the moment their lips met, Lois felt lightheaded, a rush of enjoyment spread through her as she gently touched his cheek. He kissed her slowly, the way his hands traced her waist made her heart race in her chest. Leaning up against him, she 

returned the kiss passionately. The heat between them was almost unbearable, Clark pulled her closer as he began to kiss her tenderly, letting his instincts take over.

After a lingering moment, Lois slowly pulled away, she was still in his arms when she suddenly became aware of the lack of ground beneath her feet. They both looked downwards to discover they were a metre of the ground, Lois immediately let go of Clark and fell to the floor with a thud, Clark looked as shocked as she did as he hit the ground too.

End chapter Ten


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

The rooftop of the daily planet:

'What the HELL was that?' Lois demanded from Clark as she stared at him with a mixture of awe and breathlessness. A red-faced Clark was opening his mouth to reply when Lois added, 'Clark, please tell me we didn't just FLY.'

Clark gulped, 'Lois I-'

'You can fly?!' she punched his arm out of frustration, 'that might be something you wanna drop into casual conversation before planting one on a woman!' Clark couldn't find the words to deflect her accusing glare.

'Lois I can't fly- Not...usually-I mean-' he mumbled helplessly as he too tried to understand what had just happened.

'Oh you-you-' she managed to look hurt, angry and embarrassed all at once, 'you've been lying to me this ENTIRE time?!'

Clark met her soft eyes, 'Lois...I can explain everything-'

'What else have you been hiding Smallville?' she studied him carefully, he'd never seen her look so reserved towards him.

'Lois, I can't usually fly- I swear-'

'Then what was that just then??'

'We flew-'

'That's right Smallville.' She ran her hands through her head, shaking it as she did so. For an entire moment he regretted being what he was, seeing how turned off she looked at first made his heart sink.

'Okay...' she said calmly, taking in a deep breath, 'okay.'

Clark watched her carefully as he wondered what 'Okay' meant in Lois-Land, 'Okay?'

Her eyes drifted over to Clark again, and then to his lips, Lois straightened, feeling overwhelmed, she did what she did best, she decided to get out of there.

Lois grabbed her purse, 'I have to go...and do stuff.' She lied, Clark stared at her helplessly.

'Lois- please hear me out-' he grabbed her arm gently, but she shrugged him off, pulling away completely.

'NO. Okay...No...Clark, I can't...you're...' she fell silent, her heart aching, 'you're just like Ollie,' her pained tone made his heart sink even further, 'with all your secrets...' she stared at him for a long moment.

Clark couldn't meet her gaze, letting his eyes drift to the floor he silently asked himself why he had ever thought Lois could handle who he really was. It wasn't fair of him to decide that, it wasn't fair of him to choose that for her. But what made all of this so much more difficult for Clark was their kiss. He was in love with Lois, the kiss was all he needed to prove that to himself. He had fallen for her quicker and harder than he had ever thought possible.

Lois watched Clark as the rain soaked through his suit, the man she had known for so long had made a complete fool out of her. He had lied to her about who he was all this time, when she had done nothing but been herself with him. He was one of the few people she confided in, when Oliver left she was in his arms, when Chloe was gone, he was the one she asked for help.

'I can explain everything.' He offered.

'Why didn't you tell me before? You've had more than enough chances Smallville, we've known eachother for four years-'

'It's not that simple-'

'It's not simple for anyone Clark,' she sounded disappointed in him, 'but I was always honest with you, don't you think I deserved alittle honesty too?'

Clark stared at her, she was mad at him for his honesty, not for who he was, and even though Lois was furious at him at that moment, it made him love her even more.

Lois stepped closer to Clark, her eyes searching his, Clark didn't realise he had stopped breathing for a moment, he could feel the heat from her body.

He didn't utter a word as he tried to understand what was going on in her heart and in her mind.

Lois touched his face, wiping raindrops from his cheek.

'What does this mean Lois?'

Lois studied him, he could have sworn he saw dismay in her eyes, 'Good night Clark.'

She turned away from him, making him feel as if time had stood still.

'Lois?'

Lois began to walk away, she needed some time to understand how she felt, 'Lois?' he called after her. Lois turned on her heel, meeting his steady gaze.

'I'm sorry.' He said sincerely.

Lois tried to put him out of his misery by giving him a small smile, but she couldn't bring herself to smile just yet.

'I'll see you around Smallville.'

Clark watched her walk away, a defeated sensation filled the air as he turned and peered over the balcony.

Clark's apartment, 3AM:

Clark groggily approached his apartment door, pushing it open, he strolled in. His mind was on Lois, on the kiss, on the flying, he furrowed his brow as he tried to put his thoughts in order.

'3AM? Never pegged you as the party animal type.'

'Lois?' Clark said as he turned around, Lois smiled at him softly, she was dressed in jeans and a red tank top, her hair was up. Even at her most casual, she blew him away. 'I wasn't partying, I left after you did, I was just...walking...' Lois nodded, she took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking.

'When I left you on the roof, I went straight home, thinking I needed some time alone. Away from you and how you make me feel.' She glanced up from the couch she was sitting on, 'I was wrong.' Her coy smile made his heart thump in his chest as she bit her lip for a moment, she didn't like feeling vulnerable, not one bit.

'You're not mad at me?'

'Ofcourse I'm mad at you, well not AT you-but for what you did-or didn't do...' she frowned, it was late and her mind wasn't functioning efficiently, 'I think I understand why you didn't tell me that you could fly before we kissed.'

'I can't usually fly, I can do other things.'

Lois paused hesitantly, 'what KIND of other things?'

Clark gulped, 'Uh, I have x-ray vision,' Lois smiled uncomfortably and in a subtle attempt to cover herself she pulled a cushion infront of her. Clark gave her a look, 'Lois.'

'What?'

Clark sighed as he shook his head.

'What else can you...do?' she asked softly, Clark smiled at her as she nervously mumbled, 'only if you wanna tell me, if you don't wanna tell me just yet, I understand. Take your time...' she paused as their eyes met, 'I'm not going anywhere.' She gave him a sincere smile, Clark felt a tug at the corner of his lips. She wasn't going anywhere. She had somehow managed to answer all his queries in one simply sentence. 'I'm not going anywhere,' is what she had said, and it was all he needed to know.

She patted the seat besides her on the couch, gesturing for him to join her. Clark pulled off his jacket, and untied his tie as he joined her. They sat staring ahead of them, their shoulders touching.

'What a pair.' Lois said softly.

Clark grinned as he looked at the ground. 'We are, aren't we?'

Lois smiled at him, he leaned back onto the couch, Lois turned her head to face him as he marvelled at how she made him feel.

'I wanna tell you everything.'

'Clark,' she said softly.

'No, Lois. I need to.'

Lois rested her head on his shoulder as he spoke.

Elsewhere in Metropolis:

Solomon Grundy grabbed his private detective by the collar, 'Nothing? You found nothing on Clark Kent!?'

'I looked everywhere-' Charlie said, his voice sounded stronger than he felt.

'I want to know where he was born, I wanna know who he knows, I wanna know what he can do-'

'He was adopted by the Kent's, in Smallville-' Charlie desperately offered.

'Where was he BORN. I want to know what abilities he has-I want DETAILS. If you don't get them me...' Charlie stared at his grey skinned boss, 'I'll make you wish you were never born.' Solomon released Charlie, letting Charlie scramble to his feet, 'He works at the Daily Planet...'

'Then why are you still here?' Solomon asked.

Charlie Magnus stumbled backwards as he hurriedly went back to doing his job.

End chapter eleven:


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Partners

Clark walked into the Daily Planet, he was smiling softly to himself as he thought about the previous night, he and Lois had talked all night, she was amazing. She simply was. He slowed down as he saw Lois talking to a blonde haired man, on seeing Clark Lois's unimpressed expression softened as a small smile tugged at her lips.

'Hey...' she said to Clark, the man turned to see who was interrupting them.

'Hey Lois,' Clark replied as he tried his best not to grin whilst holding her gaze.

The man cleared his throat impatiently, Clark and Lois quickly looked away from eachother.

'I'm Charlie Magnus, a Private Investigator. You must be Clark Kent.'

Charlie shook Clark's hand firmly, Clark raised an eyebrow at him, 'What're you investigating?'

'It's...confidential, but I need to ask you a few questions if you don't mind...?'

'Uh-'

Lois noticed Clark seem uncomfortable, 'What's your blood type Mr Kent?'

Clark blinked blankly, 'My blood type? Hold on, can I see your badge or Identification?'

Magnus gave Clark a smirk as he pulled out his wallet.

'Lane! Kent! Get over here-'

'But chief-' Lois said, Perry didn't care.

'GET over here! I need answers!'

Lois frowned at Clark, who looked equally confused, 'excuse us.' Lois said to Magnus, grabbing Clark's hand, she led him to Perry. Clark frowned, pulling his hand out of her grip, in turn, this made Lois frown.

'Why the heck are you two frowning?' Perry demanded, 'That should be the look on my face,' And so it was. Their chief editor looked furious as he turned on the television.

A reporter on the screen was mid-sentence as she updated the citizens of metropolis on the latest events in their problem-prone city.

'Several canisters of a luminous green fluid have been found in the basement of the Metropolitan Gala Casino. Several sightings of odd activities in the basement have authorities concerned that the owner of the casino, Mr Solomon Grundy is once again, breaking laws he shouldn't be breaking. Authorities have yet to question Mr Grundy, but Mr Grundy denies the accusations, stating that 

what he does on his property, 'Is none of anyone's business.' And finally adding, 'When its your business, you'll know.' Elsewhere, in Metropolis, police are baffled...'

Perry turned it down as he faced Lois and Clark, 'well?'

Lois and Clark opened their mouths to reply but Perry cut them off, 'why are you still here?! Go report! I want photographs, I want evidence! I want it on the front page of tomorrow's issue!'

Clark and Lois nodded, Perry quickly added, 'Take Olsen with you! The boy knows how to use a camera...'

'Will do Chief...' Clark said as he left the office.

Perry leaned back into his seat, rubbing his head, he closed his eyes. 'Those two are gonna be the end of me one day...'

The hallway:

Jimmy jogged upto Lois and Clark, 'hey guys, the chief told me to meet you guys down at the Metropolitan Gala Casino?'

'We need to make a plan first...' Lois said with a thoughtful expression, Clark frowned, 'can't we just...look around?'

Lois looked at him as if he'd suggested they both shave their heads.

'Look around?' she scoffed, 'come on Smallville, do you really think Grundy's gonna let us snoop around his basement with permission?'

'Maybe he isn't hiding anything,' Jimmy chimed in.

Lois shook her head at both Jimmy and Clark, 'men...' she sighed and turned on her heel. 'It's a good thing I have a plan...'

'A plan...?' Clark hesitantly called after her.

'Lois wait up-' Jimmy said as the two of them trailed behind her.

Metropolitan Gala Casino:

Lois adjusted her small black dress, Clark glanced down at his tuxedo, 'Lois...I don't think this is a good idea...'

'Clark, in a few years to come, when we get the Pulitzer Prize for this article amongst others, you can give a speech about how uncertain you were about it then, okay?'

Clark raised an eyebrow, 'we?'

A soft smile was on her lips as their eyes met, 'we're a team now.'

'Partners?' Clark asked whilst smiling to himself as she scanned the surroundings, 'uh...where's Jimmy?' Clark sensibly asked.

Lois paused, 'you don't think he got caught...right?'

'I hope not...'

Smiling at their concerned expressions, Grundy watched them both from the comfort of the security office. He zoomed in on Clark, 'That's my boy.' He said with a smirk.

'Have they turned up?' Magnus asked, Grundy nodded.

'Yes, they have, good work Magnus, that was good thinking.'

Charlie smiled at his boss for a second, 'Now we need him to go down to the basement and we can see what he's made of.'

'I was reading through your personnel file...your history with Lois Lane...will it be an issue...?'

'No. It's all in the past.' Charlie said firmly.

'When she saw you today, didn't she mention it?'

'She was about to, but then Kent turned up...I think they're in a relationship.'

'Interesting.'

Solomon Grundy leaned back in his chair and for the first time in weeks, he felt excited.

Main Hall:

'Any sign of Jimmy?'

'No,' Clark said as he x-rayed the building, his eyes searching for their friend.

'Are you using your uh...you know.' She gave him a meaningful look, Clark blinked at her.

'You KNOW, your...' she cast a nervous look around her, then leaned closer to Clark and whispered, 'Powers...'

'Yeah I am, and for the record, I like to call them abilities...'

'Okay-'

'Its not a problem, I'm just saying...you know, abilities-it sounds more...'

'Normal?'

Clark frowned at her, Lois smirked, she won that conversation.

'So...The report said the basement right?' she asked.

Clark nodded, 'yeah,' he frowned, he couldn't x-ray the basement, maybe it was lined with led...why would it be lined with led?? He turned to Lois, 'But I think we should look around some more before we even think about breaking and entering-'

Lois gave him a look, without saying a word she walked past him and headed towards the stairwell.

'Lois?!' Clark looked frustrated, why did he even bother trying to stop her?

Lois turned to Clark, 'You stay here...circulate...'

Clark watched her go, she was driving him crazy, he was sure of it.

After waiting for a minute, he decided to head after her.

The Stairwell:

Lois carefully walked down the stairs, looking out for any cameras, unaware she was being watched by someone who was closer than she thought, Lois found herself being pulled into a dark corner, she grunted as she struggled against the attacker-her eyes landed on his face.

'Charlie?! What are you doing here?!' she hissed.

Charlie smiled at her, 'I could ask you the same question.'

'Let go of me.'

'Lo...'

'Don't call me that. No-one's called me that since high school...'

'I've missed you, you know that?'

Lois glared at him, 'really? That why you just up and left one day without giving me an explanation?'

'C'mon Lois, you can get any guy you want...are you that hung up on me?'

Lois paused, she had no idea how he managed to flip that.

He pulled her closer, she felt his eyes on her lips, she pushed him away, 'Cut it out.'

Charlie smiled at her softly, 'You always were aggressive-'

Lois looked somewhat disgusted as she levelled him with a cold stare. 'What the hell are you doing here? First you turn up at the Daily Planet, claiming you're a Private Investigator, then you turn up here-what are you upto?'

Charlie sighed, his soft brown eyes gazed at her, as his deceptive smile whispered, 'You always did ask too many questions...'

Lois stared at him, 'what do you think you're doing??' she demanded as she pulled away.

Charlie broke into a crooked grin, 'what's the matter Lo?'

Lois stared at him as his eyes began to redden, she suddenly felt the stairwell become warmer.

'What happened to you?'

'I need you to come with me.'

'Charlie-'

'Lois.' He gave her a threatening look, Lois stared at him, 'if you don't come with me quietly, I'll just have to hurt you, and neither of us would want that...right?'

Lois glared at him, she noticed his hands glow for a moment with heat. Gulping, Lois did as she was told.

'Where are you taking me?' she asked as he grabbed her by the arm, his hands burning against her skin.

'Tell me what you know about Clark Kent...' he said as he ushered her down the stairs and into the basement.

'He's a regular guy-'

'Lois. You never were a good liar.'

Lois groaned in pain as his grip on her heated up.

The stairwell:

Clark squinted as he x-rayed the stairwell in search of Lois, where was she?

He had heard her and Charlie Magnus talking, he had heard everything that had been said. He didn't have time to wonder why Lois hadn't mentioned she and Magnus had history. As he descended the stairwell, he began to feel unsettled as he hoped she wasn't in the basement. His fingers traced the lead-lined walls as he approached the basement door.

Clark pressed his ear against the door, but it was no use, his abilities couldn't penetrate lead.

Hearing somebody approaching the door, he ducked behind some boxes.

Charlie climbed the stairwell and headed to see his boss about the slight change in plan. He had chosen to use Lois Lane as bait.

Convinced that Magnus had gone, Clark cautiously pushed open the lead door, his heart raced in his chest as what he saw sent a wave of fear and panic spreading through him.

End chapter Twelve:


	13. Chapter 13

Author Note: I just want to thank everyone for their reviews and comments:) you guys are wonderful and Gabriela, yep, grundy's the main villian.

Thanks again for reading, enjoy,

Heinzy

Chapter thirteen: Spiral

On seeing Lois collapsed on the floor, Clark ran to her side, not paying enough attention to the led lined walls with glass pipes running along them.

'Lois!'

Lois groaned, she had been hit over the head by Magnus, 'Clark...?'

Clark pulled her into his arms as he kneeled besides her, 'hey, are you okay?'

Before Lois could answer Clark heard a loud clang, turning to see what it was, he found himself facing a thick led door. They had been locked in, it was a trap. He decided to deal with the led-room later, first he needed to help Lois.

'My head, it's like the room's spinning...' she said softly, Clark frowned as his eyes scanned the room for any vents that were leaking something into the room. Naturally it wouldn't effect him, because he was generally invincible, but whatever it was could be toxic to Lois.

'Clark...' she mumbled, getting weaker in his arms, 'Lois...stay with me, hey...?' he shook her slightly, 'Lois...??'

Lois stirred, 'mm...?'

Clark studied her, 'Open your eyes...I need you to stay with me okay?'

'Okay...' she whispered weakly.

'Okay?'

'Okay.' He felt a wave of relief spread over him when he heard a firm tone. She was a fighter, thank god.

Clark climbed to his feet and began searching the room, noticing the camera in the room, he paused, unable to use his abilities, he listened carefully for the sound of hissing, his eyes scanning the room.

And there it was, the grey vent that was channelling the gas into the room, he walked over to the corner of the room where the vent purred gently. Grabbing a box, he pushed it infront of the vent, letting the box absorb the substance. Convinced that it was working, he grabbed another box and pushed it infront of the previous box, he grunted with effort as his abilities seemed to have diminished. A loud whirring noise filled the room, Clark immediately buckled to his knees as a soft green light reflected against the walls. He stared at the glass pipes that now glowed with a luminous green. Kryptonite.

Clark scrambled over to Lois, pulling her into his arms, he sat in the corner for a moment as he tried to figure out what to do, he could feel his energy levels depleting at a rapid rate, but he couldn't let Lois get hurt.

'Lois...?'

'Yeah?'

'How're you feeling?' his lips grazed her ears as he held her in his arms, she nodded, 'more awake,' she replied.

He nodded, 'See that green substance running through the pipes?'

Lois gathered her bearings and sat up, 'yeah?'

'That's kryptonite...if I'm around it too long, I lose my abilities, get weaker and then-'

'I get the idea.' She said quickly, hiding the sensation of dread filling her mind, they were locked in a room, with no way out, poison seeping through the vent and kryptonite in the pipes.

'This article better get us that Pulitzer, right?' she quipped, 'Clark?' Realising he hadn't replied, Lois touched his face, 'Clark?!' she hadn't seen him looking this pale before, was he dying??

She couldn't bare to consider that notion, 'what can I do...' she pressured herself to think, her eyes landed on the glass pipes and then drifted to the drain in the centre of the room on the floor.

'Okay,' she whispered to herself, 'Okay...' she had a plan.

Climbing to her feet, Lois picked up a metal rod, smashing the first pipe with it, she let the green fluid slowly pour out into the drain, Clark writhed in agony.

'Hang in there Clark...' she said more to herself than to him, 'hang in there...'

Clark began to drift in and out of consciousness as Lois smashed the next three pipes, streams of what Clark could only perceive as green poison drifted into the drain in the centre of the room, Lois dropped the metal rod and joined Clark.

He was barely conscious when she pulled him into her arms, pressing her lips against his ear, she explained what she was doing, 'Stay with me Smallville, the supply to the pipes is limited, if I can drain the pipes, eventually the flow will stop. How are you feeling?'

'Like death...' he said weakly.

Lois down glared at him, 'HOW is that comforting for me?!'

Clark's head felt heavy, Lois was wracked with worry as she pulled him closer, letting him rest his head against her chest. His eyes fluttered shut, he lacked the energy to open them, all he could hear was the sound of her heart beating.

'Clark, come on...you can do this,' she whispered comfortingly, no matter how strong she sounded when urging him to hang in there, her anxiety-ridden eyes gave her away. She was terrified.

'Clark...?' she whispered tenderly, convinced he was too out of it to hear her, 'if we don't make it out of here I just want you to know that...' she paused, summoning her courage before she could bared her soul, 'I love you.'

End chapter thirteen:


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Business

Clark felt his strength returning to him, the kryptonite had almost been completely drained from the pipes, Clark sat up, Lois seemed pale and silent.

'Lois?' he said as he touched her cheek, he glanced at the boxes they had used to put infront of the air vents to stop the gas from entering the chamber. They must have been completely saturated. He took in a deep breath, and blew out a freezing gust of air at the vent, leaving it frozen. 'That should be strong enough to stop the gas from entering for now.'

'Clark,' she said weakly, 'get us outta here...'

Clark nodded, he'd figure something out, he couldn't let her down.

Grunting with effort, Clark gripped the door handle and pulled with all his strength, but it was no use. There was no way he could penetrate the door or open it, he frowned as the light above the door turned from red to green. Clark stepped back as the door opened before him.

A grey skinned man smiled at him calmly, 'Clark Kent.'

Clark studied him, 'who are you?' he demanded.

'I'm somebody who's interested in forming a partnership with you...and you're uh...abilities.'

Lois climbed to her feet, appearing besides Clark, she glared at him, 'Grundy, you can't keep us here-my boss knows where we are-'

'And what exactly is it that your boss will do?' Grundy asked with an amused smile, Lois glared at him.

Before Grundy could say anything else, Jimmy emerged from behind him, hitting him over the head with a canister.

His heroic attempt fell to pieces as Grundy barely flinched, Lois groaned internally, Clark tackled Grundy to the ground, delivering him punch after punch.

Grundy simply chuckled, 'Its no use Kent.'

Clark stared down at him, his wounds healed almost instantly.

'I don't want to hurt you Kent.'

Clark felt Lois's hand on his shoulder, 'Let's get out of here,' she whispered as he slowly stood up.

'That's not such a good idea Lo.' Lois frowned at the sound of Magnus's voice, she turned around to see Jimmy lying unconscious on the ground, and Magnus smiling at her coldly.

Lois stepped backwards into Clark, who didn't dare look away from Grundy.

Grundy climbed to his feet calmly and arrogantly wiped dust from his shoulder. His vacant eyes met Clark's, sending chills down Clark's spine.

'I just want to understand how you came to possess your abilities.'

'I don't know what you're talking about-'

'Lying isn't a smart move. Not when I have footage of you using your abilities.'

Clark felt a pang of fear spread through him, 'What do you want?'

'For the footage?' Grundy asked sincerely, 'A small favour.'

'What?'

'I want you to help me.'

Clark studied him, 'I want the tapes first.'

'Consider it done.'

Clark felt reluctant as he studied the powerful man, 'how do I know you don't have more copies?'

'How do I know you'll keep your word after I give you the tapes?' he replied smartly.

Clark nodded. He had a fair point.

Lois stared at Clark wondering what the hell he was thinking...

'What do you want me to do?'

'Look, I'll be honest with you. I have some...partners, with abilities similar to yours and mine, however, neither of us exhibit as much control over our abilities as you have over yours.' He eyed Clark like an eagle did just before it swooped towards it's prey.

'There's a casino in Gotham City.'

Lois froze, that city was familiar to her, more familiar than she wished.

Clark nodded, he knew where Gotham City was, 'What about it?'

'The Ace Casino...Its owner, owes me some money. I want you to get it me.'

'Why can't you get it yourself? You're invincible...'

Grundy smiled at the farm boy, 'You may not know who I am Mr Kent. But I have an image to maintain. But you? Nobody knows you. You're a nobody Kent. Perfect for robbing a casino and vanishing without a trace.'

Clark stared at him, he felt offended, 'Rob a casino??'

'That's right.'

Clark studied him, Grundy smiled, 'No-one needs to get hurt. You go in, break into the vault and get out. I forget about you for ever. Sound fair?'

Clark considered it for a moment, 'Who's the owner of this casino?'

'Bruce Wayne.'

Lois's eyes grew wide, 'Uh Clark-'

'I'll do it.'

'Good. You have four days.' He put out a hand to Clark, Clark shook it, 'You have a good grip Kent, I only hope your word is as firm as your grip.'

Clark nodded, 'you have nothing to worry about.'

'Nice doing business with you.'

With that, Grundy walked away. Little did he let the farm boy know that he wouldn't be forgetting about him, this was merely a test, to measure his capabilities. If he could return from Gotham City, unscathed by their Batman, then Grundy would make Kent his long-term business partner until he found a way to obtain Kent's abilities. Whether Kent obliged or didn't.

End chapter Fourteen:


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen:

Lois watched Clark he walked past her, 'Clark? Are you listening to a word I'm saying??'

Clark silently grabbed some of his clothes, Lois pushed his shoulder, 'HEY-?!'

'Lois, I'm going.'

'No. You're not.' She said firmly, putting her hands on her hips, she gave him a challenging look as she physically blocked his access to his suitcase. 'You're not going to rob a casino.'

'Lois...' Clark said warningly, 'Its better for everyone if I just do what he wants and end this now-'

'Wow.'

Clark looked at her, 'what?' he asked reluctantly, knowing he'd regret it.

'Nothing,' she said with a shrug, 'I just didn't realise what a push-over you are...'

'I thought you'd be happy about that-'

Lois folded her arms, as she squinted at him suspiciously, 'are you calling me bossy?'

Clark met her steady gaze with his steel blue eyes, 'Are you calling me a push-over?'

They held eachother's gaze for a moment, they both nodded simultaneous, silently agreeing to drop it.

'No-one's gonna get hurt...' Clark said, justifying it to himself rather than Lois.

Lois folded her arms and leant her back against the kitchen counter, as she whispered to herself, 'I wouldn't be so sure.'

'What?'

Lois frowned at him, 'don't tell me you've got superhearing too??'

Clark looked at her innocently, 'OH COME ON-' she exclaimed.

But Clark wasn't prepared to drop it, 'Why wouldn't you be so sure that no-one'll get hurt?'

'Clark-you don't wanna know-'

Clark watched her walk past him, she was hiding something, he touched her arm, making her heart skip a beat as she paused in her tracks.

'Lois...what's going on?'

'Nothing...' she said with a small smile, 'Do you really wanna go to Gotham City?'

Clark nodded, 'I don't really have a choice...'

She took in a deep cleansing breath, 'Okay.'

'Alright.'

Lois nodded, 'Okay, we're going to Gotham-'

'Lois-you don't have to come-'

'Do you seriously think you'll EVER win an argument against me?'

Clark let out a defeated sigh.

'Go get me my bag i'll wait in the car...' Lois said charmingly as she grabbed the car keys and headed for the door.

'You already packed??' he asked. 'Then what was the argument about??'

Lois rolled her eyes, 'I just wanted to see if you'd listen to me.' she gave him a faux-offended look, 'I obviously see now that I don't have a say in the matter.'

'Lois-'

'But that's okay Clark. I just want you to remember that I always agree to whatever you say-'

Clark paused, 'wait-what have you done?' He knew Lois and there was no way in hell she was naturally that sweet. 'Lois?'

Lois threw him a semi-guilty glance, 'What?'

Clark felt a sensation of dread spread through him, 'LOIS...?'

Lois winced, 'Okay, Okay...Uh...so...I kind of...'knew' Bruce...a few years ago...'

Clark blinked, 'you knew him? In what sense...?'

Lois felt her cheeks flush red, she couldn't even look him in the eye, 'you know...in the way I 'knew' AC...?'

Clark frowned, 'he saved you from drowning?'

'If only,' she said with a sigh, 'look...I knew him in the way...'she felt herself flinch as she said the words, 'I knew Ollie...'

Clark groaned internally as he realised what she meant, Lois tried to give him a comforting smile, 'In the way I'm hoping to know you...'

Clark stared at her as she reached out and touched his arm, she gave him a coy smile but he wasn't in the mood.

'Maybe you should wait in the car,' He said with a short glare, Lois cringed as she watched him climb the stairs and collect her bag.

In the car:

Lois glanced out the window, Clark had been a lot quieter since she told him about Bruce, 'I was in high school-he was in his senior year-'

'I don't wanna talk about it-'

'It was a one-night stand...'

'I don't wanna know-' he said as he drove calmly, he frowned at the sky as it thundered above them, a storm was brewing.

'I want you to know-'

'Why?'

'Because I-' she bit her tongue. She had said it once before when she almost lost him, but she was NOT about to put her heart on the line again, not when he was being so cold.

Clark glanced at her this time, 'what?'

'No, you know what? If you wanna let some meaningless one night stand get in the way of us-then well done Clark, you've succeeded.'

With that, she turned the radio on, only to hear a love song playing, she skipped the channel, to find yet another love song playing, letting out a frustrated breath she turned the radio off.

Clark glanced at her against his will, somehow her defeated expression turned his anger to guilt.

'I'm sorry,' he mumbled.

'Whatever Smallville.' Lois muttered as she stared straight ahead of her, lost in her thoughts and angry at her own emotions. She had told him she loved him, and he still hadn't said it back. Maybe he hadn't heard her say it, either way, she was hating herself for saying it so soon. Just mentioning Bruce had caused all of this trouble. She dreaded to think of what would happen if they actually came face to face with him.

'And in my defence, you're not exactly a saint either.'

'Lois-'

'No, don't 'LOIS' me...just because you can see through things and move faster than a speeding bullet-doesn't suddenly make you better than me.' She said grumpily.

Clark broke into a small smile, that was what blew him away about her, she always treated him as an equal and looked him straight in the eye, rarely hesitating before being honest.

'What're you grinning at?'

Lois asked him as he glanced at her, 'When we were in the basement?'

Lois nodded, 'what about it?'

'You said you loved me.'

Lois forgot to breathe for a moment. He HAD heard her. She felt herself turn bright red as she almost died of shame, Clark chuckled at her reaction; shooting him a glare, Lois hit his arm.

'I thought you were dying...figured it'd put a smile on your face...you know, help ease the pain of dying?' she lied.

'Uh-huh...' Clark said, his grin turned into a full-fledged laugh, Lois scowled at him.

'Don't push it Clark. I will turn this car around. And we will go straight home.'

Clark shook his head at her in awe as he drove silently. He wondered if she realised how hot she looked when she was mad.

They both glanced up at the sign on the road that read 'welcome to Gotham city.'

'Here goes nothing...' Lois said softly.

End chapter fifteen:


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Seventeen: Bruce Wayne and Lois Lane

Bruce Wayne somewhat arrogantly watched his consumers pour in through the door, each hoping to get lucky and get their hands on money that wasn't there's by playing hard and using the Wayne Enterprises Gambling Machines. He glanced at a piece of dust on his shoulder, he calmly patted it aside, he hated this part of his job. Alfred had told him that he had to make an appearance every now and then, but Bruce couldn't stand casinos, the way he saw it, it was a bunch of people who refused to work hard for their money and hope to get money they didn't deserve. Life wasn't a gamble. His eyes landed on Lois Lane, he stared at her for a moment. Now, Lois Lane? SHE was a gamble.

He began to walk towards her but stopped in his steps as he saw another man walk over to her and peck her on the lips. Bruce frowned, Lois actually looked smitten. The Lois Lane he used to know would never be smitten, she wasn't the type. He smiled slightly as he thought of the wild nights they had had during summer break a few years ago. Hers was a face he would never forget, and justly so, her green eyes had the slightest flecks of brown in them, and the playful smile that easily reached her full lips used to drive him crazy when he was younger. Infact, he was certain it still could. He decided to simply watch her for a moment, wondering if she remembered him at all.

Lois looked up at Clark, 'I'll distract security...you go work your magic...We'll meet back in our suite in an hour.'

Clark nodded, 'Alright,' they both turned and began walking away, he paused for a second, turning back to face her, 'Lois?' Lois turned around.

'Yeah?'

'Be careful.' He said with a small smile, Lois smiled at him.

'You too.' She watched him go, she looked around, searching for her unsuspecting victim. Her eyes landed on a gambling machine.

'Perfect.' She said with a slight smile.

Bruce watched Lois walk over to one of the machines, she looked nervous as she glanced around, she then began pounding on the machine setting off the alarms, 'this machine ate my money!' She yelled as security ran to her side. Bruce raised an eyebrow, he walked over to her.

Lois punched the machine, 'I want my money back!'

A security Guard tried to calm the aggressive woman, 'Miss, you're making a scene-'

'A SCENE?! It stole my money!' Lois lied loudly.

'Ma'am Please-calm down...' Security grabbed her arms, Lois grunted.

'LET GO OF ME! I want to speak to your boss! RIGHT NOW!'

'Let her go Lyle.' Lois froze as her eyes landed on the suave well-known business man, Bruce Wayne.

'Bruce Wayne...' she said softly.

Bruce smiled at her, 'Lois Lane.'

Lois felt uneasy under his dark gaze, 'Fancy seeing you here, huh?' she said with a grin.

Bruce studied her, 'what are you upto?'

'What are you talking about?' Lois asked innocently.

Bruce scoffed, 'Lois...please, I know you, and I know what it means when your eyes have that look in them...'

'What look?' she said, ding her best not to crack.

'That Look.'

'I don't know what you're talking about Bruce.'

Bruce stepped closer to her, his eyes holding her gaze. 'Can I say something?'

'No.' Lois said quickly as she turned on her heel and began walking away.

'People usually put money IN the machines before claiming it stole their money.' He said with a smirk. Lois groaned internally, she hated it when he acted like a smartass.

She turned around and smirked back.

'Like I said. I don't know what you're talking about.'

'So,' he said, not accepting the rejection, 'you're here with your...boyfriend?'

Lois studied him suspiciously, 'That...is none of your business...infact-HE is none of your business.'

'Where is he anyway?'

'Like I said, it's none of your business.' She lied, it was very much his business, it was his business that was being robbed as they spoke.

'Is that the only phrase you know?'

'That's none of your business either-'

Before they could continue their bittersweet banter, alarm bells began ringing.

'Excuse me.' Bruce said hurriedly as he jogged away.

Lois watched him go, she smiled to herself, 'good timing Smallville.' She muttered, she was relieved to get rid of Bruce Wayne.

In the basement:

Clark glanced in the reflection as he supersped through the hallway, he nodded at his black, hooded outfit, not too unlike the one Oliver used to wear. The sunglasses covered over half of his face, there was no way he'd be recognised.

'Don't move.' A deep voice said, Clark looked ahead of him, he frowned questioningly at the peculiar looking man in black...

'Who are you?'

'You're not from around here are you?' The amused caped crusader said as he walked towards him.

Clark stepped back, clutching the money bag tightly, he supersped towards the stranger. The Stranger lifted his cape, swiftly launching small bat-shaped blades at Clark.

Much to the vigilante's surprise they merely bounced of Clark's muscular arms, Clark tackled him down to the ground, hoping not to hurt him. The Batman stood up again, Clark stared at him, maybe he had special armour, how else could he withstand the force Clark hit him with??

'I wouldn't take that if I were you.' He said with a cautionary tone.

Clark chose not to speak, afraid he might give himself away, he needed to silence this guy and get out of there he decided.

The man launched himself at Clark, opening his cape, Clark stared up at the bizarre sight as the man landed on Clark with all his might. Clark stumbled to the ground, grunting him pain as he heard a crack. This man had managed to crack Clark's ribs, Clark flung him aside as he panicked, sending the caped man flying into a wall and knocking him out.

Clark groaned in pain as he clutched his chest. He knew he would heal quickly, but he didn't know how long it would take. Picking up the money bag, he supersped out of the basement.

Bruce pulled off his mask, blood seeped from his forehead as he groaned in agony, he lifted his arm, speaking into a gadget on his wrist.

'Alfred...Get me out of here...quick...'

'I'll be right there master Wayne.'

Bruce stared at the empty hallway in shock, he was losing blood and he was losing it fast. His head felt heavy, whoever or whatever that was...it wasn't human.

His head fell limp as his eyes fluttered shut.

The suite:

Lois paced back and forth until Clark scrambled into the room, 'Clark??' Lois said, her tone was soaked in concern, 'Are you okay??' she asked worriedly as she helped him take off his sleeveless jacket, she pulled off the sunglasses as Clark clutched his abdomen, 'Arhg...' he said, struggling to breathe.

'Let me have a look, hey,' she said, trying to soothe him, but he pulled away.

'Urgh,' he groaned, Lois pulled up a chair, 'here,' she said, he sat on the chair, clenching his jaw in agony.

Lois stared at his chest, she gently caressed the bruised rib, Clark grabbed her hand with superspeed-causing her heart to skip a beat.

She looked up at him, he closed his eyes, 'I'm sorry,' he said softly.

'What happened?' she asked as he pulled his hand away, letting her take care of him.

'This ...man in black...turned up and tried to stop me...do you think Grundy sent him? As a test?'

Lois frowned, 'could it have been the batman?'

Clark frowned, 'the batman??'

Lois shrugged, 'Citizens of Gotham have been reporting that a caped crusader that calls himself the batman has been protecting their streets...'

'Why would he be in a casino...?ARGH-'

Lois flinched, 'Sorry! Sorry! I'm sorry...' she had accidentally pushed the injured rib.

Clark groaned, Lois helped him stand, 'Alright, let's get out of here...okay?'

Clark nodded, Lois swung her arm around him as he put the money bag into their suitcase.

On the front steps of the casino:

A paramedic wheeled Bruce Wayne into the back of an ambulance, Lois and Clark froze in their steps as they stared at the injured business man.

'What happened to Bruce Wayne? I'm a reporter for the Daily Planet.' Lois said to the elderly butler.

'Master Wayne took a blow to the head in the basement. That's all I can tell you at the moment.'

Lois gave Clark a questioning look, Clark felt sick, the batman was a HUMAN??

'You're Miss Lane aren't you?' Alfred asked her, but Lois turned to Clark, with a furious expression. Clark didn't meet her gaze.

She turned back to Alfred, 'I'd love to stay and talk, send Mr Wayne my regards...I have to go...'

'Goodbye Miss Lane.' Alfred said politely, Lois grabbed Clark's hand and led him to the car.

Convinced they were out of anyone else's earshot, she glared at him, 'did you do that to him?!'

'Lois-I didn't-I-I-he hit me-I-'

Lois groaned, 'CLARK-?!' she smacked his arm, he frowned.

'It was an accident-I didn't know he was human-If I knew I wouldn't have raised a finger-'

Lois shook her head and opened the car door, Clark stared at her, 'Lois...you have to believe me...'

'I do,' she said with a sigh. Clark noticed that she didn't meet his gaze, she was disappointed in him.

He watched her climb into the car, she was worried about Bruce, and she was disappointed in him for lifting a hand against Bruce.

Clark climbed into the car, 'Lois...it was an accident-'

'I know...' she said softly.

'He'll be okay.' Clark said.

'You don't know that...' she glanced at him, 'how're your ribs?'

'Sore...but better.'

She nodded, 'good. Let's get out of here...'

End chapter seventeen:


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Twelve: Partners

Clark walked into the Daily Planet, he was smiling softly to himself as he thought about the previous night, he and Lois had talked all night, she was amazing. She simply was. He slowed down as he saw Lois talking to a blonde haired man, on seeing Clark Lois's unimpressed expression softened as a small smile tugged at her lips.

'Hey...' she said to Clark, the man turned to see who was interrupting them.

'Hey Lois,' Clark replied as he tried his best not to grin whilst holding her gaze.

The man cleared his throat impatiently, Clark and Lois quickly looked away from eachother.

'I'm Charlie Magnus, a Private Investigator. You must be Clark Kent.'

Charlie shook Clark's hand firmly, Clark raised an eyebrow at him, 'What're you investigating?'

'It's...confidential, but I need to ask you a few questions if you don't mind...?'

'Uh-'

Lois noticed Clark seem uncomfortable, 'What's your blood type Mr Kent?'

Clark blinked blankly, 'My blood type? Hold on, can I see your badge or Identification?'

Magnus gave Clark a smirk as he pulled out his wallet.

'Lane! Kent! Get over here-'

'But chief-' Lois said, Perry didn't care.

'GET over here! I need answers!'

Lois frowned at Clark, who looked equally confused, 'excuse us.' Lois said to Magnus, grabbing Clark's hand, she led him to Perry. Clark frowned, pulling his hand out of her grip, in turn, this made Lois frown.

'Why the heck are you two frowning?' Perry demanded, 'That should be the look on my face,' And so it was. Their chief editor looked furious as he turned on the television.

A reporter on the screen was mid-sentence as she updated the citizens of metropolis on the latest events in their problem-prone city.

'Several canisters of a luminous green fluid have been found in the basement of the Metropolitan Gala Casino. Several sightings of odd activities in the basement have authorities concerned that the owner of the casino, Mr Solomon Grundy is once again, breaking laws he shouldn't be breaking. Authorities have yet to question Mr Grundy, but Mr Grundy denies the accusations, stating that 

what he does on his property, 'Is none of anyone's business.' And finally adding, 'When its your business, you'll know.' Elsewhere, in Metropolis, police are baffled...'

Perry turned it down as he faced Lois and Clark, 'well?'

Lois and Clark opened their mouths to reply but Perry cut them off, 'why are you still here?! Go report! I want photographs, I want evidence! I want it on the front page of tomorrow's issue!'

Clark and Lois nodded, Perry quickly added, 'Take Olsen with you! The boy knows how to use a camera...'

'Will do Chief...' Clark said as he left the office.

Perry leaned back into his seat, rubbing his head, he closed his eyes. 'Those two are gonna be the end of me one day...'

The hallway:

Jimmy jogged upto Lois and Clark, 'hey guys, the chief told me to meet you guys down at the Metropolitan Gala Casino?'

'We need to make a plan first...' Lois said with a thoughtful expression, Clark frowned, 'can't we just...look around?'

Lois looked at him as if he'd suggested they both shave their heads.

'Look around?' she scoffed, 'come on Smallville, do you really think Grundy's gonna let us snoop around his basement with permission?'

'Maybe he isn't hiding anything,' Jimmy chimed in.

Lois shook her head at both Jimmy and Clark, 'men...' she sighed and turned on her heel. 'It's a good thing I have a plan...'

'A plan...?' Clark hesitantly called after her.

'Lois wait up-' Jimmy said as the two of them trailed behind her.

Metropolitan Gala Casino:

Lois adjusted her small black dress, Clark glanced down at his tuxedo, 'Lois...I don't think this is a good idea...'

'Clark, in a few years to come, when we get the Pulitzer Prize for this article amongst others, you can give a speech about how uncertain you were about it then, okay?'

Clark raised an eyebrow, 'we?'

A soft smile was on her lips as their eyes met, 'we're a team now.'

'Partners?' Clark asked whilst smiling to himself as she scanned the surroundings, 'uh...where's Jimmy?' Clark sensibly asked.

Lois paused, 'you don't think he got caught...right?'

'I hope not...'

Smiling at their concerned expressions, Grundy watched them both from the comfort of the security office. He zoomed in on Clark, 'That's my boy.' He said with a smirk.

'Have they turned up?' Magnus asked, Grundy nodded.

'Yes, they have, good work Magnus, that was good thinking.'

Charlie smiled at his boss for a second, 'Now we need him to go down to the basement and we can see what he's made of.'

'I was reading through your personnel file...your history with Lois Lane...will it be an issue...?'

'No. It's all in the past.' Charlie said firmly.

'When she saw you today, didn't she mention it?'

'She was about to, but then Kent turned up...I think they're in a relationship.'

'Interesting.'

Solomon Grundy leaned back in his chair and for the first time in weeks, he felt excited.

Main Hall:

'Any sign of Jimmy?'

'No,' Clark said as he x-rayed the building, his eyes searching for their friend.

'Are you using your uh...you know.' She gave him a meaningful look, Clark blinked at her.

'You KNOW, your...' she cast a nervous look around her, then leaned closer to Clark and whispered, 'Powers...'

'Yeah I am, and for the record, I like to call them abilities...'

'Okay-'

'Its not a problem, I'm just saying...you know, abilities-it sounds more...'

'Normal?'

Clark frowned at her, Lois smirked, she won that conversation.

'So...The report said the basement right?' she asked.

Clark nodded, 'yeah,' he frowned, he couldn't x-ray the basement, maybe it was lined with led...why would it be lined with led?? He turned to Lois, 'But I think we should look around some more before we even think about breaking and entering-'

Lois gave him a look, without saying a word she walked past him and headed towards the stairwell.

'Lois?!' Clark looked frustrated, why did he even bother trying to stop her?

Lois turned to Clark, 'You stay here...circulate...'

Clark watched her go, she was driving him crazy, he was sure of it.

After waiting for a minute, he decided to head after her.

The Stairwell:

Lois carefully walked down the stairs, looking out for any cameras, unaware she was being watched by someone who was closer than she thought, Lois found herself being pulled into a dark corner, she grunted as she struggled against the attacker-her eyes landed on his face.

'Charlie?! What are you doing here?!' she hissed.

Charlie smiled at her, 'I could ask you the same question.'

'Let go of me.'

'Lo...'

'Don't call me that. No-one's called me that since high school...'

'I've missed you, you know that?'

Lois glared at him, 'really? That why you just up and left one day without giving me an explanation?'

'C'mon Lois, you can get any guy you want...are you that hung up on me?'

Lois paused, she had no idea how he managed to flip that.

He pulled her closer, she felt his eyes on her lips, she pushed him away, 'Cut it out.'

Charlie smiled at her softly, 'You always were aggressive-'

Lois looked somewhat disgusted as she levelled him with a cold stare. 'What the hell are you doing here? First you turn up at the Daily Planet, claiming you're a Private Investigator, then you turn up here-what are you upto?'

Charlie sighed, his soft brown eyes gazed at her, as his deceptive smile whispered, 'You always did ask too many questions...'

Lois stared at him, 'what do you think you're doing??' she demanded as she pulled away.

Charlie broke into a crooked grin, 'what's the matter Lo?'

Lois stared at him as his eyes began to redden, she suddenly felt the stairwell become warmer.

'What happened to you?'

'I need you to come with me.'

'Charlie-'

'Lois.' He gave her a threatening look, Lois stared at him, 'if you don't come with me quietly, I'll just have to hurt you, and neither of us would want that...right?'

Lois glared at him, she noticed his hands glow for a moment with heat. Gulping, Lois did as she was told.

'Where are you taking me?' she asked as he grabbed her by the arm, his hands burning against her skin.

'Tell me what you know about Clark Kent...' he said as he ushered her down the stairs and into the basement.

'He's a regular guy-'

'Lois. You never were a good liar.'

Lois groaned in pain as his grip on her heated up.

The stairwell:

Clark squinted as he x-rayed the stairwell in search of Lois, where was she?

He had heard her and Charlie Magnus talking, he had heard everything that had been said. He didn't have time to wonder why Lois hadn't mentioned she and Magnus had history. As he descended the stairwell, he began to feel unsettled as he hoped she wasn't in the basement. His fingers traced the lead-lined walls as he approached the basement door.

Clark pressed his ear against the door, but it was no use, his abilities couldn't penetrate lead.

Hearing somebody approaching the door, he ducked behind some boxes.

Charlie climbed the stairwell and headed to see his boss about the slight change in plan. He had chosen to use Lois Lane as bait.

Convinced that Magnus had gone, Clark cautiously pushed open the lead door, his heart raced in his chest as what he saw sent a wave of fear and panic spreading through him.

End chapter Twelve:


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Lois, Love and Loyalty

Flashback: The day before robbing the Casino:

Clark strolled into the penthouse hotel suite he and Lois were spending the night in at the casino, Lois glanced up from her sofa seat, 'well?'

Clark shrugged, 'there're afew camera's at the entrance and a few around the machines, but we should be alright, we just need to cause a distraction...'

Lois nodded, 'It's tomorrow night...right?'

Clark nodded, something was off about her as he tried to catch her gaze, but she turned and walked over to the window.

'Are you okay?'

Lois turned to face him, her arms folded, a look of melancholy in her eyes, anybody else wouldn't have noticed her subtle actions when she was feeling low or thinking about something, but Clark did. He always noticed.

Lois gave him a vulnerable smile, 'I was thinking, you know...about the past and all the people we've loved and for some reason or another, lost.'

Clark walked over to her, 'hey,' he said softly as he gently touched her chin, the small gesture seemed to break through her defences as tears welled in her eyes. She shook her head, there was something she needed to say to him and she would say it. No matter how vulnerable she'd feel afterwards.

'I'm so glad it's you.' Clark studied her as she smiled sadly, 'after everything we've been through, I'm glad that...you're the one I'm in love with.'

Clark found himself at a loss for words, 'Lois-'

'Clark, you're not like them...'

'Well that's a given-' he quipped, she ignored his joke as she tried to bare her soul.

'I mean...' she walked past him, unable to face him, talking about her feelings was always easier when she couldn't see his eyes.

'The way I feel about you...I didn't even think it was possible to care about some one that much.' She said, her voice catching in her throat, 'and what scares me the most is...we've already lost so much time, we've been around eachother for over 3 years...'

Clark listened to her, letting her have her distance from him. He understood how vulnerable her emotions made her feel and how much she hated it.

'It took so long for us to realise what love is, we turned a blind eye at eachother-and-' she cut off, her emotions confusing her, there was so much she wanted to say to him, but as soon as she'd open her mouth, the words would leave her, 'I just...' she turned to face him now, a raw sincerity in her eyes, 'I don't want to lose you as suddenly as I fell for you.'

Clark gently pulled her into his arms, letting her have the comfort of not facing him, he tighten his hold her as he buried his face in her shoulder, his lips grazed her neck as he leaned in to whisper, 'I love you,' Lois closed her eyes, her heart warming to his words. Doing her best not to lose herself in the moment, she pulled away, grinning at him, 'what?' he asked.

'You are such a sissy Smallville.' She said as she rolled her eyes, Clark grinned at her, same old Lois; When things got personal, it was time to make a joke...Lois turned on her heel, planning on walking away. Clark grabbed her arm, pulling her back towards him, she was caught off guard by his strength as she stumbled towards him, landing against his chest. He gazed down at her as she pressed her hands against his chest to regain her balance. The instant their gazes met, a storm of fireworks began brewing between them, Lois stared up at him as he refused to break his hold on her, leaning in, Clark kissed her softly, Lois cupped his face as her heart longed for the moment to last. The kiss deepened as she swung her arms around his neck, he lifted her into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist as they kissed passionately.

Clark carried her over to the bed, letting the kiss deepen, Lois let out a laugh as he threw her gently down onto the bed, she gazed up at him as he grinned down at her. So this was what love felt like, she thought to herself as she smiled at his grin. He leaned in again, her nose gently grazed his, he leaned even closer, she had no idea how crazy she drove him with such small gestures. He softly pressed his lips against her neck, making her lean in longingly as his hands trailed down to her waist. Lois touched his chest with both her hands, this grabbed his attention; captivated by her, he went in for another kiss, Lois didn't let this one end, she wrapped her arms around him as they lost themselves in the heat of the moment.

The next morning:

Lois smiled blissfully in her sleep, she stirred slightly at the sound of Clark calling her name, 'Lois...'

'Mm?'

Clark held out the mug of coffee infront of her, the scent of the freshly made coffee made her sit up in bed, pulling the duvet up around her shoulders, she gladly welcomed the coffee, 'thanks...'

Clark smiled at her sweetly, he kissed her bare shoulder as she took a sip from the mug, making her blush against her will as she was reminded of the passionate night they had spent together.

He climbed to his feet, 'I'm gonna go down stairs and check out the casino...'

'Or...we could just stay in bed...?' she said with a playful smile.

'Word's can't describe how much I wanna stay in bed with you...' he said charmingly, 'but we need to finish the deal with Grundy...'

Lois sighed, 'you're choosing a 300pound, red haired, broad shouldered man...over me in bed?' She raised an eyebrow, 'I won't lie to you, that hurts...' she said jokingly, Clark grinned.

'And all this time, I thought you weren't a morning person...'

'and all this time, I thought you weren't my type...' she smirked back.

Clark smirked, 'Owch.'

'Yeah.' She said with a nod, 'that one's bound to sting...'

Clark shook his head, 'I can never win with you...' he marvelled at her.

Lois grinned, 'you can say that again...'

'I should go now...' he said as he leaned in, pecking her on the lips briefly, Lois grabbed his arm as he turned away, pulling him closer.

'That's not a goodbye kiss, this is.' She said teasingly as she leaned in, kissing him slowly.

After a moment she pulled away, Clark looked flustered, she tried not to grin at him. He didn't realise how adorable he was sometimes.

'I'll uh...' he nodded, 'I'll take that on board.' He mumbled as he wondered over to the door, turning back to look at her once more, he bumped into the door-frame. She had officially blown his mind.

Lois grinned as he hurriedly waved at her and left the room, she shook her head to herself.

End flashback:

Current Day:

Lois's apartment:

Lois watched Clark as he settled onto the couch besides her, joining her watching the Evening News, she was hoping to an update on Bruce's condition.

'You know what...' Clark said, seeming annoyed, 'I think I'm gonna head home tonight.'

Lois frowned at him, 'Why?'

Clark shrugged, 'I've just got some...stuff to sort out.'

Lois studied him, 'you're a really bad liar Smallville.'

Clark let out a sigh, 'what else do you want me to do? Do you really expect me to sit around whilst you worry over Bruce Wayne??'

'You cracked his skull-'

'He cracked my ribs-'

'You can HEAL.'

Clark fell silent, she had a point. But he just couldn't himself, he felt jealous and he didn't want to say it. He knew for a fact that if he admitted it to her, Lois would never let him live it down.

Lois studied him, 'You know that there's no reason for you be jealous of him don't you?'

Clark looked offended, 'I'm not jealous-'

'Right-'

'I'm not!'

'Sure you're not.' She said with a smug smile that suggested otherwise.

Clark glared at her as she tiptoed, kissing him softly, he felt his anger vanish as a slight blush crept across his cheeks.

Lois smiled at him, 'I'm sorry, I just had to make sure he was okay. But it's nothing more than that. I was just curious. Alright?'

Clark nodded and began to walk past her, 'Hey,' she said, placing her hands on his chest. This got his full attention, she looked up at him with a bemused smile, 'you're cute when you're jealous.'

'I'm not jealous.' He said firmly.

'Like I said, bad liar.' She smirked as she turned and walked over to the couch, 'really bad liar.'

Clark walked upto her, furious, 'Lois, I'm not jealous...'

'It's fine Clark, infact-I think I might be flattered by your jealousy...' she grinned, she tugged at his shirt collar, 'how about we rent a movie and then don't watch it?'

Clark broke into a smile, who was he kidding, like he could resist Lois Lane.

'How about we skip the renting part and get right to it?'

Lois laughed as he began to kiss her neck, closing her eyes, she held him close, he lifted her into the air, so that she was sitting on top of him as he sat down on the couch, with her legs wrapped around his waist. As the kiss deepened, her hands trailed down his chest, Clark pulled away for a moment, groaning in pain, 'I'm sorry,' she whispered as she looked down at his.

'Don't be...' he said, knowing he'd heal within the next hour, all he cared for at that point in time was loving Lois. She cupped his face as she kissed him deeply, he pulled her closer, pressing up against her as the kiss became more passionate.

Grundy's office:

Grundy stared at the television set, he watched the paramedics wheel Bruce Wayne into an ambulance, the reporter said he had lost a lot of blood and may need extensive surgery. Bored with 

the injured business man, Grundy switched the television off, he turned and looked out over the horizon, wondering where Clark Kent was and whether taking his powers would be as easy as Grundy hoped...He began to ponder over his plan, and how far it had come into effect. A man's greatest weakness, were his emotions, and Clark Kent's were centred around one woman in particular. Lois Lane, Reporter at the Daily Planet. A cruel smile spread across his thin lips.

The next morning at the Daily Planet:

Lois stifled a yawn, she blamed Clark for her exhaustion, watching him as he sat at his desk, they had barely managed to get out of bed this morning, the good thing about Clark was, he could be in and out of the shower within seconds... The bad thing was, Lois didn't mind sharing the shower with him, even it if meant they'd both be late for work...just like they were this morning.

Perry walked over to Lois, 'Lois.' He said with a smile, Lois raised an eyebrow at him, cringing slightly, she knew what was coming. 'Are you alright?' Perry asked.

Lois nodded, gulping at the calm before the storm, 'wanna know how I am?'

Clark and Jimmy watched with bemused expressions from across the room.

Before Lois could answer him, he unleashed his wrath upon the sleep-depraved reporter.

'Let me tell you-The Daily Star have been stealing our latest scoops from right under our noses-You and Kent still haven't produced a story about your little trip to Gotham City-I've got Grundy's people ringing, complaining about some lawsuit for photographs that Jimmy Genius Olsen over there-' this stopped Jimmy from smiling. 'Took of Grundy's place, we have NO info on Bruce Wayne's accident-and then my top team of reporters, stroll in late...'

Lois began to explain away her lateness, but the chief clearly wasn't done as he turned to Clark. The entire room fell silent as it listened to Perry's loud rant.

'Mr Kent, Jimmy tells me you and Lois are somewhat of an Item now...?'

Clark smiled nervously, Lois glared at Jimmy who looked away.

'I'm happy for you, I mean, Lane's quite a catch-but I sincerely hope that the two of you choose to invest in an alarm clock if you've finding your hot and heavy nights are too tiring and prevent you from getting here on time!'

Clark gulped, all eyes in the office were on Lois and Clark. Perry took in a deep breath, taking Jimmy's coffee, he took a large swig, after a pause, he began to nod, 'I feel alot better now. Guess the Missus was right,' he said with an amused look, 'talking it out helps.' He patted Clark on the shoulder, 'Keep up the good work son.' And with that, he left Clark, Lois and Jimmy standing in awe of the force that was Perry Wyatt.

Lois looked to Jimmy, 'you told the chief that me and Clark-'

'OLSEN?! Get in here and tell what on earth this is a photograph of-!!'

Perry's voice bellowed from his office. Jimmy hurried from one hell to the next. Lois glanced around the office, 'There's nothing to see here people! Carry on working...' She ordered her colleagues.

Clark didn't dare to look up from his desk, knowing that Lois was probably waiting to level him with one of her sharpest glares.

He did his best not to laugh as he caught her scowling at him, 'You sure know how to make an entrance...huh Lois?'

Lois rolled her eyes at Clark, 'don't start or I swear to God, you're sleeping alone for a week...'

This wiped Clark's smug expression clean off his face.

Lois scrolled through her e-mails as she sipped from her mug of coffee.

Clark gazed at her for a moment, words seemed to fall short when he tried to describe just how much he loved her. Lois Lane was a beautiful woman, stunning even, and she was very aware of it but somehow managed to be humble. And it drove him crazy. The way she'd frown slightly as she'd read her e-mails, the grumpy expression that would spread across her features when she'd read something she didn't like...Clark paused as the grumpy expression spread over her features. Her phone rang, she answered it immediately, knowing who it was, she said, 'I got your email. Give me two weeks...' With that, she put the phone down and suddenly stood up, without saying a word to Clark, she walked into the ladies room.

Clark carefully wondered over to her computer screen, making sure she was no-where in sight, he told himself he was about to pry into her business out of concern rather than curiosity, but he wasn't fooling himself.

He stared at what he read. Stunned. Shocked. Heartbroken.

End chapter Eighteen:

Author Note: Hey guys, I sincerely apologise, it seems I left out chapter 16, so i pasted it into this chapter as a flashback! Again I apologise, luckily though, no major storylines occurred in that chapter, it was just Clark and Lois consummating their relationship, happy reading,

Heinzy


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Trust

Clark felt a stinging sensation spreading through his chest where his heart lay. He couldn't believe what he was reading, he pulled away from the computer screen and headed out of the building.

Lois emerged from the Ladies room to find Clark missing at his desk, she frowned, wondering where he had gone. It wasn't like him to leave without saying goodbye or letting her know where he was heading.

Clark walked through the streets of metropolis, he was still reeling from what he had read...she must have had an explanation for it...she had to have one...it just wasn't like her to deceive with such ease...and about something so personal to him, something so precious.

Lois dialled his cellphone, but he just hung up on her. She frowned as she pulled the phone away from her ear, her eyes landed on her computer screen.

'Oh crap.' She muttered, he must have read her email. Worried that Clark had gotten the wrong idea, she began dialling his number again-it went straight to answer phone. He had switched off his cell-phone, she let out a frustrated sigh.

That night in the barn:

Clark sat in the barn with his head buried in his hands, he couldn't wrap his head around it, why would Lois have told Bruce Wayne about his abilities, or a better question, why didn't she ask Clark before sharing what could be the greatest secret in the history of mankind with her ex-boyfriend??

He sunk back into the old couch, what was Lois thinking? She must have had a reason to email Bruce he told himself, not knowing what he might do if Lois had actually betrayed him...

'And here I thought I was the one who jumped to conclusions...' Lois's voice chimed in as she climbed the barn stairs.

Clark didn't acknowledge her presence, giving her the hint clearly. Lois felt uncomfortable at his silence, she hadn't been in his bad books before, 'Do you have any idea how long I was looking for you? I went everywhere in Metropolis...then I realised, if you didn't wanna talk to me-you'd go somewhere that'd take me a while to get to. You're just lucky I like you enough to spend that much of my time in finding you Smallville.'

Her quip hit the silence hard and collapsed against its weight, she took in a deep breath, 'look, Clark, I can explain the email-'

'Explain what? Explain why you've been telling your billionaire ex-boyfriend my secret or explain how long you've been keeping secrets from me Lois??'

Lois cringed, 'When you say it like that-it sounds worse than it is-'

Clark glared at her, 'you had NO right to tell Bruce-'

'Don't raise your voice at me Smallville-'

'Why not?!'

'I only told Bruce because now that we know he's batman-we know he has something to hide-JUST like you!'

Clark turned away, shaking his head and looked out over the farm as Lois tried to explain herself to him.

'Don't turn your back on me Clark.'

Clark ignored her, he was infuriated, he couldn't help but feel wronged by her.

'Look, Grundy's been after Bruce for a while now, he said he could help get Grundy off your back...'

Clark turned around now, meeting her gaze full on, 'You didn't even ask me before confiding in Bruce with something that's so important to me-'

'I was trying to protect you-I knew you wouldn't accept his help! You're too proud-'

'Maybe I shouldn't have trusted you with my secret afterall...'

This hurt.

Lois stared at him.

'You don't mean that, you're just mad at me-' she said firmly, Clark glared at her.

'No. Lois, I meant every word.'

Lois blinked back tears, 'Fine. Have it your way. I'm sorry I tried to help. Goodnight Clark.' She said bitterly, refusing to let him see how vulnerable she was, she turned and walked away.

Lost in his own anger, he looked out over the farm, not wanting to watch her go.

Clark walked over to his desk as he heard Lois drive away outside, he slumped onto the chair, leaning his elbow on the desk, he dropped Swann's journal, the book hit the floor, landing wide open on an entry Clark hadn't seen before.

'The Son Of Krypton shall fall in a way, no Kryptonian has fallen before. But within his descent, he will find hope, whether he embrace or whether he reject it, this choice will thrust him apart from all those before him, and those that will follow after him. The son Of Krypton shall fall. The alone son of Krypton shall descend.'

Clark felt his blood turn ice cold as he stared at the journal, he read the entry over and over, trying to make sense of it. 'The alone son of Krypton shall descend...' he whispered, he felt sick with the 

familiar sensation of loneliness spreading through him, what fall? What was descent? What choice?? He stared at the journal then flipped it shut.

Did it mean he was doomed to be alone, and it would cause his downfall? But then there was the mention of hope...what hope? What hope did he have in this world or any other?? Lois's name came to his mind instantly, he tried to shake it off, but the words haunted him.

Descend...why wouldn't he choose hope? What did the passage mean?? He tossed the journal aside, completely frustrated, he felt as though there was this person who he was, and there was someone he was supposed to be, and the real Clark Kent was being torn apart trying to keep a balance between the two personas.

Three hours later:

Clark lay on the couch, he had drifted off into what looked like a blissful sleep, he lay still, barely moving, lost in the world of dreams.

In the dream:

Clark stared around him, a dark blue sky began turning purple as Clark looked up, the colour began to fade, the sun darkened, becoming an eye, staring down at Clark. Clark felt terror flood through him, he stumbled backwards as his entire surroundings began to take their true form, it was Grundy's cold face, his cruel eyes almost taunting Clark, Grundy reached towards Clark's chest-Clark turned and began to run, his abilities weren't present, he felt powerless, his heart began to sting, he looked down at his chest-to see Grundy's hand burst through his chest, with his heart in his hands. The echo of evil laughter flooded his ears, he saw Bruce holding Lois back as Grundy stood over a cowering Clark.

Clark felt the breaths he was taking, he didn't belong here, this wasn't his world, even his last breath wasn't his own. Grundy became illuminated, the brighter Grundy grew, the emptier Clark felt, suddenly, all the sound vanished, he was surrounded by familiar faces, all of them, Chloe, Lana, Grundy, Oliver, Martha, Jonathon, Lex, everyone he had ever come across. But one face was missing, the only face he wanted to see, much to his horror his eye sight began to diminish, he frantically searched for her, but she wasn't there, she was nowhere to be seen, he opened his mouth to call her name but found himself baffled that he couldn't remember it-his heart pounded loudly in his chest as darkness enveloped him-

'AAARGH!' Clark jolted up in bed, shivering and panting, he pressed a hand on his chest, relieved he could feel his heart beat steadily, he climbed off the couch and ran his hands through his hair.

'Lois...' he whispered, his breathing was still rapid. He had never felt so paralysed or afraid as he had when he couldn't find her in his dream.

He stared at the empty barn, letting Lois walk away was the biggest mistake he had ever made.

Outside Lois's apartment:

Lois glanced at her watch, 'woah, its 4am...' she smiled at Bruce and his bandaged forehead, 'Thanks for letting me moan about my life tonight, I appreciate it.'

'My pleasure Lois,' he studied her, 'you feeling better?'

Lois smiled sadly, fighting back tears, 'I should go, it's getting late.'

As Lois turned to open her apartment door, Bruce took her hand, 'hey,' he said soothingly, 'If you ever wanna, meet up for a drink to moan about your life again...You've got my number.'

Lois laid eyes on the handsome billionaire, 'Thanks,' she quickly pulled her hand out of his, 'Good night Bruce.'

Bruce smiled slightly as Lois walked into the apartment, she tried to shut the door, he swiftly put his foot in the way, blocking the gesture, 'I'm not gonna get invited inside?'

Lois studied Bruce, she smiled slightly.

'Same old Bruce Wayne, still thinks buying a girl a drink, is the same thing as buying her heart...'

Bruce smiled slightly, 'I'm the same Bruce, but you're definitely not the same Lois Lane,' their eyes met for a moment of shared nostalgia, 'You know Lois, you were the only woman that even when I had you in my arms, I never really had you.'

Lois gave him a gentle smile, 'Bruce...'

Before she could speak, he cut her off, 'Lois...What if I told you, that I might be in love with you?'

'I'd tell you in that case, you're definitely not coming in tonight.'

Bruce laughed as Lois shut the door in his face.

Lois leaned against the door as she shook her head at Bruce's shameless flattery.

Bruce sighed, 'Lois Lane...' he tucked his hands into his pockets as he walked away from her apartment, 'What a woman...' he muttered to himself.

As Bruce entered the revolving doors, his eyes collided with someone entering the alternate door, Clark.

Clark held Bruce's gaze, much to Clark's surprise Bruce gave him a respectful nod. Clark returned the gesture. Both men headed in their own directions, one intent on mending his mistake, the other content on letting him.

Little did the two men know that their fates with Lois Lane were more entwined than they could imagine.

End chapter ninteen:


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter twenty:

Clark drew closer to Lois's apartment, he suddenly felt uncomfortable as he noticed that her front door was wide open. Frowning, he supersped into the apartment, only to find it empty.

'Lois...?' He called worriedly, when there was no reply his heart began to thump loudly in his chest. 'Lois?? Are you here?' he said as he began x-raying the apartment looking for a sign of her.

Again, there was no reply. Clark supersped into her bedroom, then into her bathroom, he came back to the living room, where could she have been?

'Bruce...' he whispered, Bruce must have known where she was, he was the last person here-Clark clenched his jaw, if Bruce had hurt Lois in anyway, he'd be sorry.

Having become a vigilante in his spare time, Bruce was more in-tune with anything that seemed out of the ordinary, which was precisely why he noticed the navy van with no registration plates that was parked behind Lois's apartment block. He cast a casual glance at the front window, to see a short yet plump looking man who shiftily glanced back at Bruce. Bruce clenched his jaw, maybe they were carrying out a robbery.

It was times like these he wished he packed his batsuit. He noticed the driver begin to reverse the vehicle further into the dark ally. Bruce began to walk straight towards it. His hand in his jacket pocket as though he was about to pull out a gun, the driver put his foot down, steering straight towards Bruce, who didn't even flinch as he quickly stepped back, slamming a tracking device onto the back of the van door as it sped past him and away. Bruce smiled to himself, there, now he could take his time getting to Gotham and collecting the appropriate gadgets because no matter where those thieves went, he could now find them.

'You gotta love technology.' He muttered dryly.

'Where is she?!'

A strong voice behind him caught his attention, 'Where's who?' Bruce asked as Clark stalked towards him.

'Lois-what did you do to her?' Clark said, shoving Bruce slightly, Bruce glared at Clark, if Bruce hadn't been through the training he had experienced in his fighting styles, he would have easily hit the ground with that force.

'Watch it Clark.'

Clark spoke firmly, 'Where is she Bruce?'

'What makes you think I know?' Bruce spat back. 'You should really learn to control your temper. It might get you hurt.' Bruce said with a smirk, he knew Clark was practically invincible, Lois had told him everything, and despite having respect for a fellow vigilante, Bruce couldn't help but taunt him, to push his limits and see how far he'd go with abilities like his.

Would he lose control easily and toss Bruce to a death through a thick brick wall? Or would he remain patient and rational?

Bruce decided that there was no way Lois would date a guy who abused abilities like Clark's, so Clark was probably one of the good guys.

'Did you go to her apartment?' Bruce asked.

'Yeah, it was empty.' Clark seemed calmer now that Bruce was actually trying to help him.

Bruce frowned, 'is there a back entrance into her apartment block?'

'Yeah why?'

'Where does it lead?'

Clark nodded ahead of them, 'to that alley.'

'I don't know where she is, but I know how we can find her.'

Clark looked at Bruce.

'You interested in joining forces?'

Clark studied him cautiously.

In the van:

Lois grunted as she bit down on the gag in her mouth, her hands were tied behind her back, the plump man driving cast her a hungry look from the rear view mirror that made her feel sick to her stomach. Charlie scowled at the plump driver.

'Eyes up front Garth.'

The plump man, who's name was apparently Garth looked somewhat annoyed. Lois dreaded to think what these men did to the other people they kidnapped. Charlie smiled at her as she glared at him.

'Did you know your eyes have specks of brown in them?'

He asked as he gently touched her cheek, Lois flinched at his touch, she turned away from him as he cupped her face, he frowned at her uncooperative behaviour. He rolled his eyes, 'Alright Lane, play hard to get...When my boss is done with you, I get you all to myself anyway...'

Lois felt a pang of rage rush through her veins, she felt repulsed by him.

The van spluttered to a halt, Lois looked to Charlie who climbed out of the van, Lois stared at the vast darkness, where the heck were they??

'Miss Lane,' Charlie grinned menacingly as he put out his hand to take her arm, 'If I may?'

Lois struggled out of his hold as he tightened his grip on her forearm, she felt it bruise under his hold. Her arm felt hot, she immediately stopped struggling and stared at Charlie, he had abilities too?

Charlie waited for the van to leave them. Once he was convinced that Garth was out of sight, he turned to the pitch black, inhaling deeply, he blew out a wave of flames across the darkness, igniting several wooden torches. Lois stared at the large black holding cell in the centre of the old room. She felt a sensation of dread fill her mind, she knew exactly what it was, she had spent 48hours in one as a punishment for drinking during training hours at her father's boot-camp.

It was a sensory deprivation chamber.

Lois was terrified of them.

'In you go,' Charlie taunted as he pulled the metal door wide open. Lois shoved him with her shoulder, giving it all her might, Charlie stumbled slightly, angry and flustered-his eyes blasted a ray of bright light, circles of it pulsed, illuminating where they were. Lois realised they were still outside, in a field somewhere. But because it was night, it looked pitchblack, she looked at Charlie who seemed infuriated at losing his composure and his self-control. He grabbed her by the arm and toss her into the chamber, Lois grunted with effort, as she scrambled to her feet as his cruel expression began to be shielded by the closing door.

Adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she shoved the hard metallic door with her shoulder. It was no use-he had slammed it shut. She was locked in for as long as they wanted her to be.

She felt angry at herself for getting into this situation. A familiar sensation of self-hate hit her, this was soon replaced by adamant motivation to escape. Lois lay back on the floor, lifting her knees to her chin, she groaned as she pulled her tied hands over her knees so that they were tied in front of her. She felt a sense of satisfaction hit her as she succeeded. She sat up, breathless from her effort, she bit into the rope, she pulled with all her strength, doing her best to tear the rope apart. Her jaw began to throb, breathless, she stopped trying. The reality of the danger she was in finally Dawned on her. She may never see Clark again, she may never see anything out of the chamber again...In a moment of panic, she banged her fists on the door and did something she had never done before. The independent Lois Lane called for help.

'HELP! SOMEBODY! Let me out of here!'

Bruce's hotel room:

Clark glanced at the classy hotel room, in some ways Bruce reminded him of Lex Luthor, the unlimited funds, the suave dress sense, the cold mannerisms. But Bruce was one of the good guys, or atleast Clark was hoping that was the case.

'Take a seat Clark.'

'How can you expect me to take a seat when Lois has been kidnapped??'

'Its quite simple really,' Bruce said without looking away from his laptop, he had plugged a small gadget into the USB port, it flashed green, 'You walk over to a seat, lean back and lower yourself onto the cushion.'

Clark felt his blood boil, he could see why Lois might have liked him, he was one of those people who thought they had the answer for everything. He had a thick air of confidence that rarely wavered, that added to his mild-mannered demeanour made Bruce irresistible to women.

Silently refusing to sit down, Clark stood still, this made Bruce glance up from his laptop; he wasn't used to people ignoring his advice.

Bruce let out an irritated sigh, Clark was rather self-righteous at times, and seemed to have nothing but disdain for Bruce.

'Why aren't you sitting down?' Bruce asked politely.

'Where's Lois?'

'Answer my question and I'll answer yours.'

Clark met his dark eyes, levelling him with a stare.

'I can't relax until I know Lois is safe.'

This seemed to amuse the billionaire vigilante, 'She really did a number on you didn't she?'

'It's your turn to answer my question.'

'She's being kept in an abandoned warehouse. It's 20 minutes by car from here. Down in Lakeside.'

Clark nodded and headed for the door, 'Clark? Where do you think you're going?'

'To find her.' The young man replied stubbornly.

'Don't you wanna find out who took her and why first? Maybe its a trap to lure you in? A person with your abilities is pretty valuable to any crime boss.'

Clark finally sat down, Bruce smiled and handed him the laptop, Clark read the details of what Bruce had found.

'We have to plan this and work together. Do you understand?' Bruce asked, 'I don't want any last minute heroics or stunts. We get in, we get Lois, I take down Grundy and you and Lois vanish from the area. Understood?'

'I'll help you take him down-'

'No-you're too irrational Clark, you're young, you get your emotions mixed up in your decisions, I've been wanting to take Grundy down for a while now, he's lethal. He can't be killed. However, I can paralyse him by stabbing him with a kryptonite crystal. It freezes the production of blood in his system.'

Clark frowned, 'Being near Kryptonite can kill me Bruce.'

'That's why you're gonna take Lois and get the hell out of there.'

Clark studied him, 'Isn't there another way? I'm stronger and faster than you. I won't risk you getting hurt.'

'Look, everyone wants to be the hero Clark, no one wants to be smart. Just trust me on this. I'm not that much of a loss, what I do in one night, is something you can do in an hour if you want to...your abilities, they're...outstanding. You're the most valuable thing in this entire rescue mission, losing Lois will hurt both of us, but losing you? That'll hurt alot more innocents in the long run.'

Clark took in a deep breath, 'Alright. When do we go?'

Bruce smiled at Clark.

End chapter 20


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter twenty one: The dark side of the Moon

Outside the warehouse:

Bruce waited cautiously in his batman outfit, he checked the bullet proof vest was attached to his costume correctly. Unlike Clark Kent, he wasn't unstoppable. He heard a whirring noise in his earpiece.

'Alfred??'

There was no reply. Bruce wondered what was going on, it wasn't like Alfred to not reply. He looked at his wrist and flipped open a cavity in his suit, revealing what looked like a digital watch and thermostat. Bruce pushed a button at the end of the thermostat, it flashed red then turned maroon, then turned blue. Bruce stared at it, somebody or something had knocked Alfred out. Alfred had been waiting in the van with Bruce's gadgets and a trustee first aid kit.

Bruce quickly glanced behind him and peered into the dark warehouse with his night vision, he couldn't see any signs of life besides a few rats skittering by here and there, and a large square box, which he could only assume contained Lois Lane.

Bruce straightened as he heard something above him. It sounded like footsteps, someone knew they were here. Bruce looked upwards and blasted a batarang at the ceilings, he heard it make contact, and then heard somebody or something collapse. He smirked. This was too easy. He made his way upto the next floor to see what exactly what was watching him.

Clark could barely see a thing in the pitch black warehouse, he used his x-ray vision, which merely made things turn a different shade of grey, but something was better than nothing. He paused as he heard the commotion coming from where Bruce was, he decided Bruce was more than capable of taking care of himself. But still, he listened closely, Bruce had shot a batarang into the air and it had hit something. Convinced the threat was probably knocked out, Clark continued with searching for Lois.

Clark watched the shadows carefully as they seemed to be taking on odd shapes in the darkness, he could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

Grundy smiled calmly as he approached Clark from behind, he pulled out a bright crystal and stabbed Clark's spinal chord with it.

Clark buckled to his knees, he quickly turned around to identify the threat, but he couldn't see anything. He groaned in agony as his eyes clenched shut, a spectrum of greys, reds, and blacks flooded his sight. He reached for the crystal in his back but it was no longer there. Clark stared at his veins, they glowed yellow in the dark for a split second, his pupils dilated for an instant and flashed bright yellow. He moaned in pain, it felt as though he was being crushed by an invisible force. He ribs felt as though someone had placed boulders on them, his brain felt as though it was throbbing against his skull. Clark yelled in agony, 'ARGH!'

Everything became still again, his mind, his body, the surroundings all seemed to return to normal. Clark felt his energies, he was feeling like his regular Kryptonian self. He let out a relieved breath, for now, he just needed to find Lois and get the hell out of here. Then he'd worry about what just happened.

A whisper sent chills along Clark's spine, 'Kal El...' Clark turned on his heel in superspeed. He was convinced he heard something.

'The last son of Krypton...'

Clark blasted his x-ray vision all around him, he turned 360 degrees in an attempt to locate the source of the sound, the whispers sounded malicious, menacing.

Clark tried to remain calm, he recognised the words that he heard, he felt blood drain from his face.

'Will fall...' this time the whisper was followed by vicious laughter. Clark clutched his head, the voice was in his head. Not in the surroundings.

'What's the matter Kal El?' The whisper grew louder.

Clark stumbled backwards, 'What do you want?!'

'The last Son of Krypton will fall...' it repeated.

Clark felt fear creeping along his spine. He turned around again, in desperate hopes to identify the perpetrator. But it was no use. The voice, whatever it was, was in his head.

Clark came to a halt around a large, black cube-like cavity, only, despite his x-ray vision, he couldn't see what was inside.

He felt a stinging sensation emitting from his chest, he glanced down and saw a spectrum of blue, yellow, red and grey beaming from his core to the black box. It began to pull Clark towards the box, Clark struggled with all his might.

'NO!' he grabbed onto a drainpipe, but it was no use, his superstrength caused it to rip off the wall.

'BRUCE!!'

He couldn't hear his own words, the closer he got to what looked like a black box, the less he could hear and feel, everything seemed to be folding in on itself.

'WHAT'S HAPPENING?!' Clark demanded from the presence in his mind.

'The son of Krypton is yet to face...' the whisper taunted him, 'His darkest hour.'

The malicious whisper teased him, Clark's eyes desperately scanned the surroundings, everything was turning into nothingness, into an abyss. A blackness that was so overwhelming that his lungs burned in his chest, it was as if he couldn't breathe. Was he dying? He thought of Lois. He wished he could see her one last time.

He didn't know why he was remembering his conversations with Lois at a time like this, but the sound of her voice flooded his mind, it was almost an instinct to think of her when he was lost, 'I must have really liked you...' followed by her tender gaze. One of the few times she might have accidentally revealed how she felt.

Another image of Lois, she was smiling with that familiar teasing look, 'See ya round Smallville...'

This was followed by Jor El's voice, 'Kal El. You must not fail me...'

Clark's eyes blasted open.

A blinding light flooded his eyes.

In the warehouse:

Bruce stared at the dummy lying on the ground, this was a set up. He could have sworn he heard Clark's voice from downstairs, 'Clark??'

He swung his grappling hook at the floor below and let himself be swept towards it.

There was a bright flash, as the black box emitted a wave of radiation that blew Bruce off his feet and then vanished into thin air. All that remained was an empty cube, made out of an odd material that Bruce couldn't quite place.

'Lois? Clark...?' When there was no reply, he realised that they had both vanished. He lifted a finger and touched the odd shell of a cube, it collapsed into itself and vanished too.

Bruce stared at the empty warehouse.

'What in the hell...?' he muttered.

'Seize The Bat Man...' Grundy's voice bellowed.

Bruce turned around to be swamped by an army of thugs, they tackled him to the ground, making in impossible for him to reach his utility belt or any of his weapons. He yelled in pain as one of the men punched him in the nose.

'Restrain him.' Grundy said simply, the men did as they were told, Bruce stared at them, they were human but didn't seem it. It was as if they were possessed. Like worker-bees, just doing what they were instructed. He glared at Grundy.

'What have you done with my friends??'

'They are not of your concern Batman.' He said with a smirk, 'You're concern is whether I de-mask you now...' Bruce clenched his jaw, 'Or I await till you confess who you are yourself...for the world to see.'

Bruce glared at Grundy's smug expression.

'Take him away.'

'Urgh!' Bruce grunted as the drones carried out their orders.

End chapter twenty one:


End file.
